EWS 


GIFT 


ST.   BARTHOLOMEW'S   EVE 


PHILIP   GETS    HIS    FIRST    LOOK   AT   PIERRE. 


ST.    BARTHOLOMEW'S   EVE 

A  TALE  OF 

THE    HUGUENOT    WARS 


BY 

G.  A.    HENTY 

Author  of  "  Beric  the  Briton,"  "  In  Freedom's  Cause,"  "  The  Dash  for  Khartoum," 
"  By  England's  Aid,"  "  In  the  Reign  of  Terror,"  &c. 


WITH  TWELVE  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  H.  J.  DRAPER 

AND  MAP  OF  FRANCE 


NEW   YORK 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S  SONS 
1910 


r  of  Ednc,  !•">• 


COPYRIGHT,  1893,  BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


.GIFT 


(4  55 
S73 

PREFACE"' 

MY  DEAR  LADS, 

It  is  difficult  in  these  days  of  religious  toleration  to 
understand  why  men  should,  three  centuries  ago,  have  flown 
at  each  others'  throats  in  the  name  of  the  Almighty;  still  less, 
how  in  cold  blood  they  could  have  perpetrated  hideous  mas- 
sacres of  men,  women,  and  children.  The  Huguenot  wars 
were,  however,  as  much  political  as  religious.  Philip  of 
Spain,  at  that  time  the  most  powerful  potentate  of  Europe, 
desired  to  add  France  to  the  countries  where  his  influence 
was  all-powerful,  and  in  the  ambitious  house  of  Guise  he 
found  ready  instruments.  For  a  time  the  new  faith  that  had 
spread  with  such  rapidity  in  Germany,  England,  and  Hol- 
land, made  great  progress  in  France  also.  But  here  the 
reigning  family  remained  Catholic,  and  the  vigorous  measures 
they  adopted  to  check  the  growing  tide  drove  those  of  the 
new  religion  to  take  up  arms  in  self-defence.  Although 
under  the  circumstances  the  Protestants  can  hardly  be  blamed 
for  so  doing,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  first  Huguenot 
war,  though  the  revolt  was  successful,  was  the  means  of  France 
remaining  a  Catholic  country.  It  gave  colour  to  the  asser- 
tions of  the  Guises  and  their  friends  that  the  movement  was 
a  political  one,  and  that  the  Protestants  intended  to  grasp  all 
power  and  to  overthrow  the  throne  of  France.  It  also 
afforded  an  excuse  for  the  cruel  persecutions  which  followed, 
and  rallied  to  the  Catholic  cause  numbers  of  those  who  were 
at  heart  indifferent  to  the  question  of  religion,  but  were 
Royalists  rather  than  Catholics. 


M723414 


PREFACE 

The  great  organization  of  the  Church  of  Rome  laboured 
among  all  classes  for  the  destruction  of  the  growing  heresy. 
Every  pulpit  in  France  resounded  with  denunciations  of  the 
Huguenots,  and  passionate  appeals  were  made  to  the  bigotry 
and  fanaticism  of  the  more  ignorant  classes;  so  that,  while 
the  power  of  the  Huguenots  lay  in  some  of  the  country  dis- 
tricts, the  mobs  of  the  great  towns  were  everywhere  the 
instruments  of  the  priests. 

I  have  not  considered  it  necessary  to  devote  any  large 
portion  of  my  story  to  details  of  the  terrible  massacres  of  the 
period,  nor  to  the  atrocious  persecutions  to  which  the  Hugue- 
nots were  subjected,  but  have  as  usual  gone  to  the  military 
events  of  the  struggle  for  its  chief  interest.  For  the  par- 
ticulars of  these  I  have  relied  chiefly  upon  the  collection  of 
works  of  contemporary  authors  published  by  M.  Zeller  of 
Paris,  the  Memoirs  of  Francois  de  la  Noiie,  and  other  French 
authorities. 

Yours  sincerely, 

G.  A.  HENTY. 


CONTENTS 

CHAP.  PAGE 

I.    DRIVEN  FROM  HOME n 

II.    AN  IMPORTANT  DECISION 27 

III.  IN  A  FRENCH  CHATEAU 44 

IV.  AN  EXPERIMENT 60 

V.    TAKING  THE  FIELD 77 

VI.    THE  BATTLE  OF  ST.  DENIS 94 

VII.    A  RESCUE .       .        .no 

VIII.    THE  THIRD  HUGUENOT  WAR 129 

IX.  AN  IMPORTANT  MISSION    .......    146 

X.  THE  QUEEN  OF  NAVARRE  .        .       .       .       •       .       .163 

XI.    JEAN  OF  NAVARRE 178 

XII.     AN  ESCAPE  FROM  PRISON 195 

XIII.  AT  LAVILLE 212 

XIV.  THE  ASSAULT  ON  THE  CHATEAU 229 

XV.    THE  BATTLE  OF  JARNAC 246 

XVI.    A  HUGUENOT  PRAYER-MEETING 262 

XVII.    THE  BATTLE  OF  MONCONTOUR 279 

XVIII.    A  VISIT  HOME .297 

XIX.     IN  A  NET 316 

XX.    THE  TOCSIN 332 

XXI.     ESCAPE 350 

XXII.     REUNITED 367 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

PHILIP  GETS  HIS  FIRST  LOOK  AT  PIERRE        .        .      Frontispiece  64 

GASPARD  VAILLANT  MAKES  A  PROPOSAL 27 

PHILIP  AND  FRANCOIS  IN  THE  ARMOURY 52 

MlF  YOU  MOVE  A  STEP  YOU  ARE  A  DEAD  MAN"     .       .       .       .  Il8 

PHILIP  AND  HIS  FOLLOWERS  EMBARKING 163 

PHILIP  IN  PRISON 202 

"PHILIP  STRUCK  HIM  FULL  IN  THE  FACE" 26l 

PIERRE  LISTENS  AT  THE  OPEN  WINDOW  OF  THE  INN    .       .       .  277 

GASPARD  VAILLANT  GETS  A  SURPRISE 300 

"YOU  HAVE  NOT  HEARD  THE  NEWS,  MONSIEUR  PHILIP?"     .       .  324 

"  THAT  CROSS  is  PLACED  THERE  BY  DESIGN  " 341 

PHILIP,  CLAIRE,  AND  PIERRE  DISGUISE  THEMSELVES      .       .       .  350 


ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S   EVE 

A  TALE  OF  THE  HUGUENOT  WARS 


CHAPTER   I 

DRIVEN  FROM   HOME 

'N  the  year  1567  there  were  few  towns  in  the 
southern  counties  of  England  that  did  not  contain 
a  colony,  more  or  less  large,  of  French  Protestants. 
For  thirty  years  the  Huguenots  had  been  exposed 
to  constant  and  cruel  persecutions;  many  thou- 
sands had  been  massacred  by  the  soldiery,  burned  at  the  stake, 
or  put  to  death  with  dreadful  tortures.  Fifty  thousand,  it  was 
calculated,  had,  in  spite  of  the  most  stringent  measures  of  pre- 
vention, left  their  homes  and  made  their  escape  across  the 
frontiers.  These  had  settled  for  the  most  part  in  the  Protes- 
tant cantons  of  Switzerland,  in  Holland,  or  England.  As  many 
of  those  who  reached  our  shores  were  but  poorly  provided  with 
money,  they  naturally  settled  in  or  near  the  ports  of  landing. 
Canterbury  was  a  place  in  which  many  of  the  unfortunate 
emigrants  found  a  home.  Here  one  Gaspard  Vaillant,  his 
wife,  and  her  sister,  who  had  landed  in  the  year  1547,  had 
established  themselves.  They  were  among  the  first  comers, 
but  the  French  colony  had  grown  gradually  until  it  numbered 
several  hundreds.  The  Huguenots  were  well  liked  in  the  town, 
being  pitied  for  their  misfortunes  and  admired  for  the  courage 
with  which  they  bore  their  losses;  setting  to  work,  each  man 

11 


12  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

at  his  trade  if  he  had  one,  or  if  not,  taking  to  the  first  work 
that  came  to  hand.  They  were  quiet  and  God-fearing  folk; 
very  good  towards  each  other  and  to  their  poor  countrymen  on 
their  way  from  the  coast  to  London,  entertaining  them  to  the 
best  of  their  power,  and  sending  them  forward  on  their  way 
with  letters  to  the  Huguenot  committee  in  London,  and  with 
sufficient  money  in  their  pockets  to  pay  their  expenses  on  the 
journey,  and  to  maintain  them  for  a  while  until  some  employ- 
ment could  be  found  for  them. 

Gaspard  Vaillant  had  been  a  land-owner  near  Civray,  in 
Poitou.  He  was  connected  by  blood  with  several  noble  fam- 
ilies in  that  district,  and  had  been  among  the  first  to  embrace 
the  reformed  religion.  For  some  years  he  had  not  been  inter- 
fered with,  as  it  was  upon  the  poorer  and  more  defenceless 
classes  that  the  first  fury  of  the  persecutors  fell ;  but  as  the 
attempts  of  Francis  to  stamp  out  the  new  sect  failed,  and  his 
anger  rose  more  and  more  against  them,  persons  of  all  ranks 
fell  under  the  ban.  The  prisons  were  filled  with  Protestants 
who  refused  to  confess  their  errors;  soldiers  were  quartered  in 
the  towns  and  villages,  where  they  committed  terrible  atrocities 
upon  the  Protestants;  and  Gaspard,  seeing  no  hope  of  better 
times  coming,  or  of  being  permitted  to  worship  in  peace  and 
quietness,  gathered  together  what  money  he  could  and  made 
his  way  with  his  wife  and  her  sister  to  La  Rochelle,  whence  he 
took  ship  to  London. 

Disliking  the  bustle  of  a  large  town,  he  was  recommended 
by  some  of  his  compatriots  to  go  down  to  Canterbury,  where 
three  or  four  fugitives  from  his  own  part  of  the  country  had 
settled.  One  of  these  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  but  without 
money  to  manufacture  looms  or  set  up  in  his  calling.  Gaspard 
joined  him  as  partner,  embarking  the  little  capital  he  had 
saved;  and  being  a  shrewd,  clear-headed  man  he  carried  on 
the  business  part  of  the  concern,  while  his  partner  Lequoc 
worked  at  the  manufacture.  As  the  French  colony  in  Canter- 
bury increased  they  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  skilled  hands 
from  among  them.  The  business  grew  in  magnitude,  and  the 
profits  were  large,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  numbers  of  similar 
enterprises  had  been  established  by  the  Huguenot  immigrants 
in  London  and  other  places.  They  were  indeed  amply  suffi- 


DRIVEN   FROM   HOME  13 

cient  to  enable  Gaspard  Vaillant  to  live  in  the  condition  of  a 
substantial  citizen,  to  aid  his  fellow-countrymen,  and  to  lay 
by  a  good  deal  of  money. 

His  wife's  sister  had  not  remained  very  long  with  him.  She 
had,  upon  their  first  arrival,  given  lessons  in  her  own  language 
to  the  daughters  of  burgesses  and  of  the  gentry  near  the  town, 
but  three  years  after  the  arrival  of  the  family  there  she  had 
married  a  well-to-do  young  yeoman  who  farmed  a  hundred 
acres  of  his  own  land  two  miles  from  the  town.  His  relations 
and  neighbours  had  shaken  their  heads  over  what  they  con- 
sidered his  folly  in  marrying  the  pretty  young  Frenchwoman, 
but  ere  long  they  were  obliged  to  own  that  his  choice  had  been 
a  good  one.  Just  after  his  first  child  was  born  he  was,  when 
returning  home  one  evening  from  market,  knocked  down  and 
run  over  by  a  drunken  carter,  and  was  so  injured  that  for  many 
months  his  life  was  in  danger.  Then  he  began  to  mend,  but 
though  he  gained  in  strength  he  did  not  recover  the  use  of  his 
legs,  being  completely  paralysed  from  the  hips  downward,  and, 
as  it  soon  appeared,  was  destined  to  remain  a  helpless  invalid 
all  his  life. 

From  the  day  of  the  accident  Lucie  had  taken  the  manage- 
ment of  affairs  in  her  hands,  and  having  been  brought  up  in 
the  country,  and  being  possessed  of  a  large  share  of  the 
shrewdness  and  common  sense  for  which  Frenchwomen  are 
often  conspicuous,  she  succeeded  admirably.  The  neatness 
and  order  of  the  house  since  their  marriage  had  been  a  matter 
of  surprise  to  her  husband's  friends,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
the  farm  showed  the  effects  of  her  management.  Gaspard 
Vaillant  assisted  her  with  his  counsel,  and  as  the  French 
methods  of  agriculture  were  considerably  in  advance  of  those 
in  England,  instead  of  things  going  to  rack  and  ruin,  as  John 
Fletcher's  friends  predicted,  its  returns  were  considerably 
augmented.  Naturally,  she  at  first  experienced  considerable 
opposition.  The  labourers  grumbled  at  what  they  called 
new-fangled  French  fashions;  but  when  they  left  her  their 
places  were  supplied  by  her  countrymen,  who  were  frugal  and 
industrious,  accustomed  to  make  the  most  out  of  small  areas 
of  ground  and  to  turn  every  foot  to  the  best  advantage. 

Gradually  the  raising  of  corn  was  abandoned,  and  a  large 


14  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

portion  of  the  farm  devoted  to  the  growing  of  vegetables, 
which,  by  dint  of  plentiful  manuring  and  careful  cultivation, 
were  produced  of  a  size  and  quality  that  were  the  surprise  and 
admiration  of  the  neighbourhood,  and  gave  her  almost  a 
monopoly  of  the  supply  of  Canterbury.  The  carters  were  still 
English;  partly  because  Lucie  had  the  good  sense  to  see  that 
if  she  employed  French  labourers  only  she  would  excite  feelings 
of  jealousy  and  dislike  among  her  neighbours,  and  partly 
because  she  saw  that  in  the  management  of  horses  and  cattle 
the  Englishmen  were  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  her  countrymen. 
Her  life  was  a  busy  one;  the  management  of  the  house  and 
farm  would  alone  have  been  a  heavy  burden  to  most  people, 
but  she  found  ample  time  for  the  tenderest  care  of  the  invalid, 
whom  she  nursed  with  untiring  affection. 

"It  is  hard  upon  a  man  of  my  size  and  inches,  Lucie,"  he 
said  one  day,  "to  be  lying  here  as  helpless  as  a  sick  child; 
and  yet  I  don't  feel  that  I  have  any  cause  for  discontent.  I 
should  like  to  be  going  about  the  farm,  and  yet  I  feel  that  I 
am  happier  here,  lying  watching  you  singing  so  contentedly 
over  your  work,  and  making  everything  so  bright  and  com- 
fortable. Who  would  have  thought  when  I  married  a  little 
French  lady  that  she  was  going  to  turn  out  a  notable  farmer? 
All  my  friends  tell  me  that  there  is  not  a  farm  like  mine  in  all 
the  country  round,  and  that  the  crops  are  the  wonder  of  the 
neighbourhood;  and  when  I  see  the  vegetables  that  are  brought 
in  here  I  should  like  to  go  over  the  farm,  if  only  for  once,  just 
to  see  them  growing." 

"  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  do  that  some  day,  dear.  Not 
on  foot,  I  am  afraid;  but  when  you  get  stronger  and  better,  as 
I  hope  you  will,  we  will  take  you  round  in  a  litter,  and  the 
bright  sky  and  the  fresh  air  will  do  you  good." 

Lucie  spoke  very  fair  English  now,  and  her  husband  had 
come  to  speak  a  good  deal  of  French;  for  the  service  of  the 
house  was  all  in  that  language,  the  three  maids  being  daugh- 
ters of  French  workmen  in  the  town.  The  waste  and  disorder 
of  those  who  were  in  the  house  when  her  husband  first  brought 
her  there  had  appalled  her,  and  the  women  so  resented  any 
attempt  at  teaching  on  the  part  of  the  French  madam,  that 
after  she  had  tried  several  sets  with  equally  bad  results,  John 


DRIVEN   FROM    HOME  15 

Fletcher  had  consented  to  the  introduction  of  French  girls, 
bargaining  only  that  he  was  to  have  good  English  fare,  and 
not  French  kickshaws.  The  Huguenot  customs  had  been  kept 
up,  and  night  and  morning  the  house  servants,  with  the  French 
neighbours  and  their  families,  all  assembled  for  prayer  in  the 
farmhouse.  To  this  John  Fletcher  had  agreed  without  demur. 
His  father  had  been  a  Protestant  when  there  was  some  danger 
in  being  so,  and  he  himself  had  been  brought  up  soberly  and 
strictly.  Up  to  the  time  of  his  accident  there  had  been  two 
congregations,  he  himself  reading  the  prayers  to  his  farm 
hands,  while  Lucie  afterwards  read  them  in  her  own  language 
to  her  maids,  but  as  the  French  labourers  took  the  place  of  the 
English  hands  only  one  servjce  was  needed.  When  John 
Fletcher  first  regained  sufficient  strength  to  take  much  interest 
in  what  was  passing  round,  he  was  alarmed  at  the  increase  in 
the  numbers  of  those  who  attended  these  gatherings.  Hitherto 
four  men  had  done  the  whole  work  of  the  farm;  now  there 
were  twelve. 

"Lucie,  dear,"  he  said  uneasily  one  day,  "I  know  that  you 
are  a  capital  manager,  but  it  is  impossible  that  a  farm  the  size 
of  ours  can  pay  with  so  many  hands  on  it.  I  have  never  been 
able  to  do  more  than  pay  my  way  and  lay  by  a  few  pounds 
every  year  with  only  four  hands,  and  many  would  have  thought 
three  sufficient,  but  with  twelve — and  I  counted  them  this 
morning — we  must  be  on  the  high  road  to  ruin." 

"  I  will  not  ruin  you,  John.  Do  you  know  how  much  money 
there  was  in  your  bag  when  you  were  hurt  just  a  year  ago  now?  " 

"Yes,  I  know  there  were  thirty- three  pounds." 

His  wife  went  out  of  the  room  and  returned  with  a  leather 
bag. 

"Count  them,  John,"  she  said. 

There  were  forty-eight.  Fifteen  pounds  represented  a  vastly 
greater  sum  at  that  time  than  they  do  at  present,  and  John 
Fletcher  looked  up  from  the  counting  with  amazement. 

"This  can't  be  all  ours,  Lucie.  Your  brother  must  have 
been  helping  us." 

"Not  with  a  penny,  doubting  man,"  she  laughed.  "The 
money  is  yours,  all  earned  by  the  farm;  perhaps  not  quite  all, 
because  we  have  not  more  than  half  as  many  animals  as  we  had 


16  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

before.  But,  as  I  told  you,  we  are  growing  vegetables,  and  for 
that  we  must  have  more  men  than  for  corn.  But,  as  you  see, 
it  pays.  Do  not  fear  about  it,  John.  If  God  should  please  to 
restore  you  to  health  and  strength  most  gladly  will  I  lay  down 
the  reins,  but  till  then  I  will  manage  as  best  I  may,  and  with 
the  help  and  advice  of  my  brother  and  his  friends,  shall  hope, 
by  the  blessing  of  God,  to  keep  all  straight." 

The  farm  throve,  but  its  master  made  but  little  progress 
towards  recovery.  He  was  able,  however,  occasionally  to  be 
carried  round  in  a  hand-litter  made  for  him  upon  a  plan 
devised  by  Gaspard  Vaillant,  in  which  he  was  supported  in  a 
half-sitting  position,  while  four  men  bore  him  as  if  in  a 
Sedan-chair.  But  it  was  only  occasionally  that  he  could  bear 
the  fatigue  of  such  excursions.  Ordinarily  he  lay  on  a  couch 
in  the  farmhouse  kitchen,  where  he  could  see  all  that  was  going 
on  there;  while  in  warm  summer  weather  he  was  wheeled  out- 
side, and  lay  in  the  shade  of  the  great  elm  in  front  of  the 
house. 

The  boy,  Philip — for  so  he  had  been  christened,  after  John 
Fletcher's  father, — grew  apace,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  old 
enough  to  receive  instruction  his  father  taught  him  his  letters 
out  of  a  hornbook,  until  he  was  big  enough  to  go  down  every 
day  to  school  in  Canterbury.  John  himself  was  built  upon  a 
large  scale,  and  at  quarter-staff  and  wrestling  could,  before  he 
married,  hold  his  own  with  any  of  the  lads  of  Kent,  and  Philip 
bade  fair  to  take  after  him  in  skill  and  courage.  His  mother 
would  shake  her  head  reprovingly  when  he  returned  with  his 
face  bruised  and  his  clothes  torn  after  encounters  with  his 
school-fellows,  but  his  father  took  his  part. 

"Nay,  nay,  wife,"  he  said  one  day,  "the  boy  is  eleven 
years  old  now,  and  must  not  grow  up  a  milksop.  Teach  him 
if  you  will  to  be  honest  and  true,  to  love  God,  and  to  hold  to 
the  faith,  but  in  these  days  it  needs  that  men  should  be  able 
to  use  their  weapons  also.  There  are  your  countrymen  in 
France,  who  ere  long  will  be  driven  to  take  up  arms  for  the 
defence  of  their  faith  and  lives  from  their  cruel  persecutors; 
and,  as  you  have  told  me,  many  of  the  younger  men  from  here 
and  elsewhere  will  assuredly  go  back  to  aid  their  brethren. 

"  We  may  even  have  trials  here.     Our  Queen  is  a  Protestant, 


DRIVEN   FROM   HOME  17 

and  happily  at  present  we  can  worship  God  as  we  please  in 
peace ;  but  it  was  not  so  in  the  time  of  Mary,  and  it  may  be 
that  troubles  may  again  fall  upon  the  land,  seeing  that  as  yet 
the  Queen  is  not  married.  Moreover,  Philip  of  Spain  has 
pretensions  to  rule  here,  and  every  Englishman  may  be  called 
upon  to  take  up  bow  or  bill  for  his  faith  and  country.  Our 
co-religionists  in  Holland  and  France  are  both  being  cruelly 
persecuted,  and  it  may  well  be  that  the  time  will  come  when 
we  shall  send  over  armies  to  their  assistance.  I  would  that 
the  boy  should  grow  up  both  a  good  Christian  and  a  stout  sol- 
dier. He  comes  on  both  sides  of  a  fighting  stock.  One  of  my 
ancestors  fought  at  Agincourt,  and  another  with  the  Black 
Prince  at  Cressy  and  Poitiers;  while  on  your  side  his  blood  is 
noble,  and,  as  we  know,  the  nobles  of  France  are  second  to 
none  in  bravery. 

"  Before  I  met  you  I  had  thoughts  of  going  out  myself  to 
fight  among  the  English  bands  who  have  engaged  on  the  side 
of  the  Hollanders.  I  had  even  spoken  to  my  cousin  James 
about  taking  charge  of  the  farm  while  I  was  away.  I  would 
not  have  sold  it,  for  Fletchers  held  this  land  before  the  Nor- 
mans set  foot  in  England;  but  I  had  thoughts  of  borrowing 
money  upon  it  to  take  me  out  to  the  war,  when  your  sweet 
face  drove  all  such  matters  from  my  mind.  Therefore,  Lucie, 
while  I  would  that  you  should  teach  the  boy  to  be  good  and 
gentle  in  his  manners,  so  that  if  he  ever  goes  among  your 
French  kinsmen  he  shall  be  able  to  bear  himself  as  befits  his 
birth  on  that  side,  I,  for  my  part — though,  alas,  I  can  do  noth- 
ing myself — will  see  that  he  is  taught  to  use  his  arms,  and  to 
bear  himself  as  stoutly  as  an  English  yeoman  should  when 
there  is  need  of  it. 

"  So,  wife,  I  would  not  have  him  chidden  when  he  comes 
home  with  a  bruised  face  and  his  garments  somewhat  awry. 
A  boy  who  can  hold  his  own  among  boys  will  some  day  hold 
his  own  among  men,  and  the  fisticuffs  in  which  our  English 
boys  try  their  strength  are  as  good  preparation  as  are  the 
courtly  sports,  in  which,  as  you  tell  me,  young  French  nobles 
are  trained.  But  I  would  not  have  him  backward  in  these 
either.  We  English,  thank  God,  have  not  had  much  occasion 
to  draw  a  sword  since  we  broke  the  strength  of  Scotland  on 


18  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Flodden  Field,  and  in  spite  of  ordinances,  we  know  less  than 
we  should  do  of  the  use  of  our  weapons;  even  the  rules  that 
every  lad  shall  practise  shooting  at  the  butts  are  less  strictly 
observed  than  they  should  be.  But  in  this  respect  our  de- 
ficiencies can  be  repaired  in  his  case,  for  here  in  Canterbury 
there  are  several  of  your  countrymen  of  noble  birth,  and 
doubtless  among  these  we  shall  be  able  to  find  an  instructor 
for  Phil.  Many  of  them  are  driven  to  hard  shifts  to  procure  a 
living;  and  since  that  bag  of  yours  is  every  day  getting  heavier, 
and  we  have  but  him  to  spend  it  upon,  we  will  not  grudge 
giving  him  the  best  instruction  that  can  be  procured." 

Lucie  did  not  dispute  her  husband's  will,  but  she  neverthe- 
less tried  to  enlist  Gaspard  Vaillant,  who  was  frequently  up  at 
the  farm  with  his  wife  in  the  evening,  for  he  had  a  sincere 
liking  for  John  Fletcher,  on  her  side,  and  to  get  him  to  dis- 
suade her  husband  from  putting  thoughts  into  the  boy's  head 
that  might  lead  him  some  day  to  be  discontented  with  the 
quiet  life  on  the  farm.  She  found,  however,  that  Gaspard 
highly  approved  of  her  husband's  determination. 

"  Fie  upon  you,  Lucie.  You  forget  that  you  and  Marie  are 
both  of  noble  blood,  in  that  respect  being  of  condition  some- 
what above  myself,  although  I  too  am  connected  with  many 
good  families  in  Poitou.  In  other  times  I  should  have  said  it 
were  better  that  the  boy  should  grow  up  to  till  the  land,  which 
is  assuredly  an  honourable  profession,  rather  than  to  become 
a  military  adventurer,  fighting  only  for  vainglory.  But  in  our 
days  the  sword  is  not  drawn  for  glory,  but  for  the  right  to 
worship  God  in  peace. 

"  No  one  can  doubt  that  ere  long  the  men  of  the  reformed 
religion  will  take  up  arms  to  defend  their  right  to  live  and 
worship  God  in  their  own  way.  The  cruel  persecutions  under 
Francis  I.,  Henry  II.,  and  Francis  II.  have  utterly  failed  in 
their  object.  When  Merindol,  Cabrieres,  and  twenty- two 
other  towns  and  villages  were  destroyed  in  1547,  and  persons 
persecuted  and  forced  to  recant,  or  to  fly  as  we  did,  it  was 
thought  that  we  were  but  a  handful  whom  it  would  be  easy  to 
exterminate ;  but  in  spite  of  edict  after  edict,  of  persecution, 
slaughterings,  and  burnings,  in  spite  of  the  massacres  of  Am- 
boise  and  others,  the  reformed  religion  has  spread  so  greatly 


DRIVEN   FROM   HOME  19 

that  even  the  Guises  are  forced  to  recognize  it  as  a  power.  At 
Fontainebleau  Admiral  Coligny,  Montmorency,  the  Chatillons, 
and  others  openly  professed  the  reformed  religion,  and  argued 
boldly  for  tolerance;  while  Cond£  and  Navarre,  although  they 
declined  to  be  present,  were  openly  ranged  on  their  side. 
Had  it  not  been  that  Henry  II.  and  Francis  were  both  carried 
off  by  the  manifest  hand  of  God,  the  first  by  a  spear-thrust  at 
a  tournament,  the  second  by  an  abscess  in  the  ear,  France 
would  have  been  the  scene  of  deadly  strife,  for  both  were, 
when  so  suddenly  smitten,  on  the  point  of  commencing  a  war 
of  extermination. 

"  But  it  is  only  now  that  the  full  strength  of  those  who  hold 
the  faith  is  manifested.  Beza,  the  greatest  of  the  reformers 
next  to  Calvin  himself,  and  twelve  of  our  most  learned  and 
eloquent  pastors,  are  at  Poissy  disputing  upon  the  faith  with 
the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine  and  the  prelates  of  the  Romish 
church,  in  the  presence  of  the  young  king,  the  princes,  and 
the  court.  It  is  evident  that  the  prelates  are  unable  to  answer 
the  arguments  of  our  champions.  The  Guises,  I  hear,  are 
furious;  for  the  present  Catherine,  the  queen  mother,  is  anx- 
ious for  peace  and  toleration,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  end 
of  this  argument  at  Poissy  will  be  an  edict  allowing  freedom 
of  worship.  But  this  will  only  infuriate  still  more  the 
Papists,  urged  on  by  Rome  and  Philip  of  Spain.  Then  there 
will  be  an  appeal  to  arms,  and  the  contest  will  be  a  dreadful 
one.  Navarre,  from  all  I  hear;  has  been  well-nigh  won  over 
by  the  Guises;  but  his  noble  wife  will,  all  say,  hold  the  faith 
to  the  end,  and  her  kingdom  will  follow  her.  Conde"  is  as 
good  a  general  as  Guise,  and  with  him  there  is  a  host  of 
nobles:  Rochefoucauld,  the  Chatillons,  Soubise,  Gramont, 
Rohan,  Genlis,  and  a  score  of  others.  It  will  be  terrible,  for 
in  many  cases  father  and  son  will  be  ranged  on  opposite  sides, 
and  brother  will  fight  against  brother." 

"But  surely,  Gaspard,  the  war  will  not  last  for  years?" 
"It  may  last  for  generations,"  the  weaver  said  gloomily, 
"though  not  without  intermissions,  for  I  believe  that  after 
each  success  on  one  side  or  the  other  there  will  be  truces  and 
concessions,  to  be  followed  by  fresh  persecutions  and  fresh 
wars,  until  either  the  reformed  faith  becomes  the  religion  of 


20  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

all  France  or  is  entirely  stamped  out.  What  is  true  of  France 
is  true  of  Holland.  Philip  will  annihilate  the  reformers  there, 
or  they  will  shake  off  the  yoke  of  Spain.  England  will  be 
driven  to  join  in  one  or  both  struggles;  for  if  papacy  is  trium- 
phant in  France  and  Holland,  Spain  and  France  would  unite 
against  her.  So  you  see,  sister,  that  in  my  opinion  we  are  at 
the  commencement  of  a  long  and  bloody  struggle  for  freedom 
of  worship,  and  at  any  rate  it  will  be  good  that  the  boy  should 
be  trained  as  he  would  have  been  had  you  married  one  of  your 
own  rank  in  France,  in  order  that  when  he  comes 40  man's 
estate  he  may  be  able  to  wield  a  sword  worthily  in  the  defence 
of  the  faith. 

"  Had  I  sons  I  should  train  them  as  your  husband  intends 
to  train  Phil.  It  may  be  that  he  will  never  be  called  upon  to 
draw  a  sword,  but  the  time  he  has  spent  in  acquiring  its  use 
will  not  be  wasted.  These  exercises  give  firmness  and  sup- 
pleness to  the  figure,  quickness  to  the  eye,  and  briskness  of 
decision  to  the  mind.  A  man  who  knows  that  he  can  at  need 
defend  his  life  if  attacked,  whether  against  soldiers  in  the 
field  or  robbers  in  the  street,  has  a  sense  of  power  and  self- 
reliance  that  a  man  untrained  in  the  use  of  the  strength  God 
has  given  him  can  never  feel.  I  was  instructed  in  arms  when 
a  boy,  and  I  am  none  the  worse  weaver  for  it.  Do  not  forget, 
Lucie,  that  the  boy  has  the  blood  of  many  good  French  fami- 
lies in  his  veins,  and  you  should  rejoice  that  your  husband  is 
willing  that  he  shall  be  so  trained  that  if  the  need  should 
ever  come  he  shall  do  no  discredit  to  his  ancestors  on  our 
side.  These  English  have  many  virtues  which  I  recognize 
freely,  but  we  cannot  deny  that  many  of  them  are  somewhat 
rough  and  uncouth,  being  wondrous  lacking  in  manners  and 
coarse  in  speech.  I  am  sure  that  you  yourself  would  not  wish 
your  son  to  grow  up  like  many  of  the  young  fellows  who  come 
into  town  on  market-day.  Your  son  will  make  no  worse  a 
farmer  for  being  trained  as  a  gentleman.  You  yourself  have 
the  training  of  a  French  lady,  and  yet  you  manage  the  farm 
to  admiration.  No,  no,  Lucie,  I  trust  that  between  us  we 
shall  make  a  true  Christian  and  a  true  gentleman  of  him,  and 
that  if  needs  be  he  will  show  himself  a  good  soldier  also." 

And  so  between  his  French  relatives  and  his  sturdy  English 


DRIVEN   FROM   HOME  21 

father,  Philip  Fletcher  had  an  unusual  training.  Among  the 
Huguenots  he  learned  to  be  gentle  and  courteous,  to  bear 
himself  among  his  elders  respectfully,  but  without  fear  or  shy- 
ness; to  consider  that  while  all  things  were  of  minor  conse- 
quence in  comparison  to  the  right  to  worship  God  in  freedom 
and  purity,  yet  that  a  man  should  be  fearless  of  death,  ready 
to  defend  his  rights,  but  with  moderation  and  without  pushing 
them  to  the  injury  of  others;  that  he  should  be  grave  and 
decorous  of  speech,  and  yet  of  a  gay  and  cheerful  spirit.  He 
strove  hard  so  to  deport  himself,  that  if  at  any  time  he 
should  return  to  his  mother's  country,  he  could  take  his  place 
among  her  relations  without  discredit.  He  learned  to  fence 
and  to  dance.  Some  of  the  stricter  of  the  Huguenots  were  of 
opinion  that  the  latter  accomplishment  was  unnecessary,  if  not 
absolutely  sinful,  but  Gaspard  Vaillant  was  firm  on  this  point. 

"Dancing  is  a  stately  and  graceful  exercise,"  he  said,  "and 
like  the  use  of  arms  it  greatly  improves  the  carriage  and  poise 
of  the  figure.  Queen  Elizabeth  loves  dancing,  and  none  can 
say  that  she  is  not  a  good  Protestant.  Every  youth  should  be 
taught  to  dance,  if  only  he  may  know  how  to  walk.  I  am  not 
one  of  those  who  think  that  because  a  man  is  a  good  Christian 
he  should  necessarily  be  awkward  and  ungainly  in  speech  and 
manner,  adverse  to  innocent  gaieties,  narrow  in  his  ideas,  ill- 
dressed,  and  ill-mannered,  as  I  see  are  many  of  those  most 
extreme  in  religious  matters  in  this  country." 

Upon  the  other  hand,  in  the  school  playground,  under  the 
shadow  of  the  grand  cathedral,  Phil  was  as  English  as  any, 
being  foremost  in  their  rough  sports,  and  ready  for  any  fun  or 
mischief.  He  fought  many  battles,  principally  because  the 
difference  of  his  manner  from  that  of  the  others  often  caused 
him  to  be  called  "Frenchy."  The  epithet  in  itself  was  not 
displeasing  to  him,  for  he  was  passionately  attached  to  his 
mother,  and  had  learned  from  her  to  love  her  native  country; 
but  applied  in  derision  it  was  regarded  by  him  as  an  insult, 
and  many  a  tough  battle  did  he  fight,  until  his  prowess  was  so 
generally  acknowledged  that  the  name,  though  still  used,  was 
no  longer  one  of  disrespect. 

In  figure  he  took  after  his  French  rather  than  his  English 
ancestors.  Of  more  than  average  height  for  his  age,  he  was 


22  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

apparently  slighter  in  build  than  his  school-fellows;  it  was 
not  that  he  lacked  width  of  chest,  but  that  his  bones  were 
smaller  and  his  frame  less  heavy.  The  English  boys  among 
themselves  sometimes  spoke  of  him  as  "skinny,"  a  word  con- 
sidered specially  appropriate  to  Frenchmen;  but  though  he 
lacked  their  roundness  and  fulness  of  limb,  and  had  not  an 
ounce  of  superfluous  flesh  about  him,  he  was  all  sinew  and 
wire,  and  while  in  sheer  strength  he  was  fully  their  equal,  he 
was  incomparably  quicker  and  more  active.  Although  in 
figure  and  carriage  he  took  after  his  mother's  countrymen,  his 
features  and  expression  were  wholly  English.  His  hair  was 
light-brown,  his  eyes  a  bluish-grey,  his  complexion  fair,  and 
his  mouth  and  eyes  alive  with  fun  and  merriment.  This, 
however,  seldom  found  vent  in  laughter.  His  intercourse 
with  the  grave  Huguenots,  saddened  by  their  exile,  and  quiet 
and  restrained  in  manner,  taught  him  to  repress  mirth  which 
would  have  appeared  to  them  unseemly,  and  to  remain  a  grave 
and  silent  listener  to  their  talk  of  their  unhappy  country,  and 
their  discussions  on  religious  matters. 

To  his  school-fellows  he  was  somewhat  of  an  enigma. 
There  was  no  more  good-tempered  young  fellow  in  the  school, 
no  one  more  ready  to  do  a  kindness;  but  they  did  not  under- 
stand why,  when  he  was  pleased,  he  smiled  while  others 
roared  with  laughter;  why  when  in  their  sports  he  exerted 
himself  to  the  utmost,  he  did  so  silently  while  others  shouted; 
why  his  words  were  always  few,  and  when  he  differed  from 
others,  he  expressed  himself  with  a  courtesy  that  puzzled 
them;  why  he  never  wrangled  nor  quarrelled;  and  why  any 
trick  played  upon  an  old  woman  or  a  defenceless  person 
roused  him  to  fury. 

As  a  rule,  when  boys  do  not  quite  understand  one  of  their 
number  they  dislike  him.  Philip  Fletcher  was  an  exception. 
They  did  not  understand  him,  but  they  consoled  themselves 
under  this  by  the  explanation  that  he  was  half  a  French- 
man, and  could  not  be  expected  to  be  like  a  regular  English 
boy,  and  they  recognized  instinctively  that  he  was  their 
superior. 

Much  of  Philip's  time  was  spent  at  the  house  of  his  uncle, 
and  among  the  Huguenot  colony.  Here  also  were  many  boys 


DRIVEN   FROM   HOME  23 

of  his  own  age;  these  went  to  a  school  of  their  own,  taught 
by  the  pastor  of  their  own  church,  who  held  weekly  services 
in  the  crypt  of  the  cathedral,  which  had  been  granted  to  them 
for  that  purpose  by  the  dean. 

While  with  his  English  school-fellows  he  joined  in  sports 
and  games,  among  these  French  lads  the  talk  was  sober  and 
quiet.  Scarce  a  week  passed  but  some  fugitive,  going  through 
Canterbury,  brought  the  latest  news  of  the  situation  in  France, 
and  the  sufferings  of  their  co-religionist  friends  and  relations 
there,  and  the  political  events  were  the  chief  topics  of  con- 
versation. 

The  concessions  made  at  the  Conference  of  Poissy  had 
infuriated  the  Catholics,  and  the  war  was  brought  on  by  the 
Duke  of  Guise,  who,  passing  with  a  large  band  of  retainers 
through  the  town  of  Vassy  in  Champagne,  found  the  Hugue- 
nots there  worshipping  in  a  barn.  His  retainers  attacked 
them,  slaying  men,  women,  and  children.  Some  sixty  being 
killed,  and  a  hundred  or  more  left  terribly  wounded. 

The  Protestant  nobles  demanded  that  Francis  of  Guise 
should  be  punished  for  this  atrocious  massacre,  but  in  vain, 
and  Guise,  on  entering  Paris  in  defiance  of  Catherine's  pro- 
hibition, was  received  with  royal  honours  by  the  populace. 
The  Cardinal  of  Lorraine,  the  duke's  brother,  the  duke  him- 
self, and  their  allies,  the  Constable  Montmorency  and  Mar- 
shal Saint  Andre",  assumed  so  threatening  an  attitude  that 
Catherine  left  Paris  and  went  to  Me"lun,  her  sympathies  at  this 
period  being  with  the  reformers,  by  whose  aid  alone  she 
thought  that  she  could  maintain  her  influence  in  the  state 
against  that  of  the  Guises. 

Conde  was  forced  to  leave  Paris  with  the  Protestant  nobles, 
and  from  all  parts  of  France  the  Huguenots  marched  to 
assist  him.  Coligny,  the  greatest  of  the  Huguenot  leaders, 
hesitated,  being,  above  all  things,  reluctant  to  plunge  France 
into  civil  war;  but  the  entreaties  of  his  noble  wife,  of  his 
brothers  and  friends,  overpowered  his  reluctance.  Conde" 
left  Meaux  with  fifteen  hundred  horse  with  the  intention  of 
seizing  the  person  of  the  young  king,  but  he  had  been  fore- 
stalled by  the  Guises,  and  moved  to  Orleans,  where  he  took 
up  his  head-quarters.  All  over  France  the  Huguenots  rose 


24  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

in  such  numbers  as  astonished  their  enemies,  and  soon  be- 
came possessed  of  a  great  many  important  cities. 

Their  leaders  had  endeavoured,  in  every  way,  to  impress 
upon  them  the  necessity  of  behaving  as  men  who  fought  only 
for  the  right  to  worship  God,  and  for  the  most  part  these  in- 
junctions were  strictly  obeyed.  In  one  matter  alone  the 
Huguenots  could  not  be  restrained.  For  thirty  years  the  people 
of  their  faith  '  had  been  executed,  tortured,  and  slain,  and 
their  hatred  of  the  Romish  church  manifested  itself  by  the 
destruction  of  images  and  pictures  of  all  kinds  in  the  churches 
of  the  towns  of  which  they  obtained  possession. 

Only  in  the  south-east  of  France  was  there  any  exception  to 
the  general  excellence  of  their  conduct.  Their  persecution 
here  had  always  been  very  severe,  and  in  the  town  of  Orange 
the  papal  troops  committed  a  massacre  almost  without  a  par- 
allel in  its  atrocity.  The  Baron  of  Adrets,  on  behalf  of  the 
Protestants,  took  revenge  by  massacres  equally  atrocious;  but 
while  the  butchery  at  Orange  was  hailed  with  approbation  and 
delight  by  the  Catholic  leaders,  those  promoted  by  Adrets 
excited  such  a  storm  of  indignation  among  the  Huguenots  of 
all  classes  that  he  shortly  afterwards  went  over  to  the  other 
side,  and  was  found  fighting  against  the  party  he  had  disgraced. 
At  Toulouse  three  thousand  Huguenots  were  massacred,  and  in 
other  towns  where  the  Catholics  were  in  a  majority  terrible 
persecutions  were  carried  out. 

It  was  nearly  a  year  after  the  massacre  at  Vassy  before  the 
two  armies  met  in  battle.  The  Huguenots  had  suffered  greatly 
by  the  delays  caused  by  attempts  at  negotiations  and  compro- 
mise. Condi's  army  was  formed  entirely  of  volunteers,  and 
the  nobles  and  gentry,  as  their  means  became  exhausted,  were 
compelled  to  return  home  with  their  retainers,  while  many 
were  forced  to  march  to  their  native  provinces  to  assist  their 
co-religionists  there  to  defend  themselves  from  their  Catholic 
neighbours. 

England  had  entered  to  a  certain  extent  upon  the  war, 
Elizabeth  after  long  vacillation  having  at  length  agreed  to  send 
six  thousand  men  to  hold  the  towns  of  Havre,  Dieppe,  and 
Rouen,  providing  these  three  towns  were  handed  over  to  her, 
thus  evincing  the  same  calculating  greed  that  marked  her 


DRIVEN   FROM   HOME  25 

subsequent  dealings  with  the  Dutch  in  their  struggle  for 
freedom.  In  vain  Conde"  and  Coligny  begged  her  not  to 
impose  conditions  that  Frenchmen  would  hold  to  be  infamous 
to  them.  In  vain  Throgmorton,  her  ambassador  at  Paris, 
warned  her  that  she  would  alienate  the  Protestants  of  France 
from  her,  while  the  possession  of  the  cities  would  avail  her 
but  little.  In  vain  her  minister,  Cecil,  urged  her  frankly  to 
ally  herself  with  the  Protestants.  From  the  first  outbreak 
of  the  war  for  freedom  of  conscience  in  France  to  the  termi- 
nation of  the  struggle  in  Holland,  Elizabeth  baffled  both 
friends  and  enemies  by  her  vacillation  and  duplicity,  and  her 
utter  want  of  faith,  doling  out  aid  in  the  spirit  of  a  huckster 
rather  than  a  queen,  so  that  she  was  in  the  end  even  more 
hated  by  the  Protestants  of  Holland  and  France  than  by  the 
Catholics  of  France  and  Spain. 

To  those  who  look  only  at  the  progress  made  by  England 
during  the  reign  of  Elizabeth — thanks  to  her  great  ministers, 
her  valiant  sailors  and  soldiers,  long  years  of  peace  at  home, 
and  the  spirit  and  energy  of  her  people, — Elizabeth  may  appear 
a  great  monarch.  To  those  who  study  her  character  from 
her  relations  with  the  struggling  Protestants  of  Holland  and 
France,  it  will  appear  that  she  was,  although  intellectually 
great,  morally  one  of  the  meanest,  falsest,  and  most  despicable 
of  women. 

Rouen,  although  stoutly  defended  by  the  inhabitants,  sup- 
ported by  Montgomery  with  eight  hundred  soldiers  and  five 
hundred  Englishmen  under  Killegrew  of  Pendennis,  was  at  last 
forced  to  surrender.  The  terms  granted  to  the  garrison  were 
basely  violated,  and  many  of  the  Protestants  put  to  death. 
The  King  of  Navarre,  who  had,  since  he  joined  the  Catholic 
party,  shown  the  greatest  zeal  in  their  cause,  commanded  the 
besiegers.  He  was  wounded  in  one  of  the  attacks  upon  the 
town,  and  died  shortly  afterwards. 

The  two  armies  finally  met  on  the  igth  of  December,  1562. 
The  Catholic  party  had  sixteen  thousand  foot,  two  thousand 
horse,  and  twenty- two  cannon;  the  Huguenots  four  thousand 
horse,  but  only  eight  thousand  infantry  and  five  cannon. 
Conde"  at  first  broke  the  Swiss  pikemen  of  the  Guises,  while 
Coligny  scattered  the  cavalry  of  Constable  Montmorency,  who 


26  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner;  but  the  infantry  of  the 
Catholics  defeated  those  of  the  Huguenots,  the  troops  sent  by 
the  German  princes  to  aid  the  latter  behaving  with  great 
cowardice.  Condi's  horse  was  killed  under  him,  and  he  was 
made  prisoner.  Coligny  drew  off  the  Huguenot  cavalry  and 
the  remains  of  the  infantry  in  good  order,  and  made  his  retreat 
unmolested. 

The  Huguenots  had  been  worsted  in  the  battle,  and  the  loss 
of  Conde  was  a  serious  blow;  but  on  the  other  hand  Marshal 
Saint  Andre"  was  killed  and  the  Constable  Montmorency  a 
prisoner.  Coligny  was  speedily  reinforced,  and  the  assassina- 
tion of  the  Duke  of  Guise  by  an  enthusiast  of  the  name  of  Jean 
Poltrot  more  than  equalized  matters. 

Both  parties  being  anxious  to  treat,  terms  of  peace  were 
arranged  on  the  condition  that  the  Protestant  lords  should  be 
reinstated  in  their  honours  and  possessions;  all  nobles  and 
gentlemen  should  be  allowed  to  celebrate  in  their  own  houses 
the  worship  of  the  reformed  religion;  that  in  every  bailiwick 
the  Protestants  should  be  allowed  to  hold  their  religious  ser- 
vices in  the  suburbs  of  one  city,  and  should  also  be  permitted 
to  celebrate  it  in  one  or  two  places  inside  the  walls  of  all  the 
cities  they  held  at  the  time  of  the  signature  of  the  truce.  This 
agreement  was  known  as  the  Treaty  of  Amboise,  and  sufficed 
to  secure  peace  for  France  until  the  latter  end  of  1567. 


GASPARL)    VAILLANT    MAKES    A    PROPOSAL. 


CHAPTER  II 

AN   IMPORTANT   DECISION 

ONE  day  in  June,  1567,  Gaspard  Vaillant  and  his  wife  went 
up  to  Fletcher's  farm. 

"I  have  come  up  to  have  a  serious  talk  with  you,  John, 
about  Philip.  You  see,  in  a  few  months  he  will  be  sixteen. 
He  is  already  taller  than  I  am.  Rene"  and  Gustave  both  tell 
me  that  they  have  taught  him  all  they  know  with  sword  and 
dagger;  and  both  have  been  stout  men-at-arms  in  their  time, 
and  assure  me  that  the  lad  could  hold  his  own  against  any 
young  French  noble  of  his  own  age,  and  against  not  a  few 
men.  It  is  time  that  we  came  to  some  conclusion  about  his 
future." 

"  I  have  thought  of  it  much,  Gaspard.  Lying  here  so  help- 
less, my  thoughts  do  naturally  turn  to  him.  The  boy  has 
grown  almost  beyond  my  power  of  understanding.  Sometimes 
when  I  hear  him  laughing  and  jesting  with  the  men,  or  with 
some  of  his  school  friends  whom  he  brings  up  here,  it  seems 
to  me  that  I  see  myself  again  in  him;  and  that  he  is  a  merry 
young  fellow,  full  of  life  and  fun,  and  able  to  hold  his  own  at 
single-stick,  or  to  foot  it  round  the  maypole  with  any  lad  in 
Kent  of  his  age.  Then  again,  when  he  is  talking  with  his 
mother,  or  giving  directions  in  her  name  to  the  French 
labourers,  I  see  a  different  lad  altogether:  grave  and  quiet, 
with  a  gentle,  courteous  way,  fit  for  a  young  noble  ten  years 
his  senior.  I  don't  know  but  that  between  us,  Gaspard,  we 
have  made  a  mess  of  it,  and  that  it  might  have  been  better  for 
him  to  have  grown  up  altogether  as  I  was,  with  no  thought  or 

27 


28  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

care  save  the  management  of  his  farm,  with  a  liking  for  sport 
and  fun  when  such  came  in  his  way." 

"Not  at  all,  not  at  all,"  Gaspard  Vaillant  broke  in  hastily, 
"we  have  made  a  fine  man  of  him,  John;  and  it  seems  to  me 
that  he  possesses  the  best  qualities  of  both  our  races.  He  is 
frank  and  hearty,  full  of  life  and  spirits  when,  as  you  say, 
occasion  offers,  giving  his  whole  heart  either  to  work  or  play, 
with  plenty  of  determination,  and  what  you  English  call  back- 
bone; there  is,  in  fact,  a  solid  English  foundation  to  his  char- 
acter. Then  from  our  side  he  has  gained  the  gravity  of 
demeanour  that  belongs  to  us  Huguenots,  with  the  courtesy  of 
manner,  the  carriage  and  bearing  of  a  young  Frenchman 
of  good  blood.  Above  all,  John,  he  is  a  sober  Christian, 
strong  in  the  reformed  faith,  and  with  a  burning  hatred  against 
its  persecutors,  be  they  French  or  Spanish.  Well,  then,  being 
what  he  is,  what  is  to  be  done  with  him?  In  the  first  place, 
are  you  bent  upon  his  remaining  here  ?  I  think  that  with  his 
qualities  and  disposition  it  would  be  well  that  for  a  while  he 
had  a  wider  scope.  Lucie  has  managed  the  farm  for  the  last 
fifteen  years,  and  can  well  continue  to  do  so  for  another  ten 
if  God  should  spare  her;  and  my  own  opinion  is,  that  for  that 
time  he  might  be  left  to  try  his  strength,  and  to  devote  to  the 
good  cause  the  talents  God  has  given  him,  and  the  skill  and 
training  that  he  has  acquired  through  us,  and  that  it  would  be 
for  his  good  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  his  French  kinsfolk 
and  to  see  something  of  the  world." 

"I  know  that  is  Lucie's  wish  also,  Gaspard;  and  I  have  fre- 
quently turned  the  matter  over  in  my  mind,  and  have  con- 
cluded that  should  it  be  your  wish  also,  it  would  be  well  for 
me  to  throw  no  objections  in  the  way.  I  shall  miss  the  boy 
sorely;  but  young  birds  cannot  be  kept  always  in  the  nest,  and 
I  think  that  the  lad  has  such  good  stuff  in  him  that  it  were  a 
pity  to  keep  him  shut  up  here." 

"Now,  John,"  his  brother-in-law  went  on,  "although  I  may 
never  have  said  quite  as  much  before,  I  have  said  enough  for 
you  to  know  what  my  intentions  are.  God  has  not  been 
pleased  to  bestow  children  upon  us,  and  Philip  is  our  nearest 
relation,  and  stands  to  us  almost  in  the  light  of  a  son.  God 
has  blest  my  work  for  the  last  twenty  years,  and  though  I  have 


AN   IMPORTANT  DECISION  29 

done,  I  hope,  fully  my  share  towards  assisting  my  countrymen 
in  distress,  putting  by  always  one-third  of  my  income  for  that 
purpose,  I  am  a  rich  man.  The  factory  has  grown  larger  and 
larger;  not  because  we  desired  greater  gains,  but  that  I  might 
give  employment  to  more  and  more  of  my  countrymen.  Since 
the  death  of  Lequoc  twelve  years  ago  it  has  been  entirely  in 
my  hands,  and  living  quietly  as  we  have  done,  a  greater  por- 
tion of  the  profits  have  been  laid  by  every  year;  therefore, 
putting  out  of  account  the  money  that  my  good  sister  has  laid 
by,  Philip  will  start  in  life  not  ill  equipped. 

"  I  know  that  the  lad  has  said  nothing  of  any  wishes  he  may 
entertain — at  his  age  it  would  not  be  becoming  for  him  to  do 
so  until  his  elders  speak, — but  of  late  when  we  have  read  to 
him  letters  from  our  friends  in  France,  or  when  he  has  listened 
to  the  tales  of  those  freshly  arrived  from  their  ruined  homes, 
I  have  noted  that  his  colour  rose,  that  his  fingers  tightened  as 
if  on  a  sword,  and  could  see  how  passionately  he  was  longing 
to  join  those  who  were  struggling  against  their  cruel  oppres- 
sors. Not  less  interested  has  he  been  in  the  noble  struggle 
that  the  Dutch  are  making  against  the  Spaniards;  a  struggle 
in  which  many  of  our  exiled  countrymen  are  sharing. 

"One  of  his  mother's  cousins,  the  Count  de  La  Noiie,  is, 
as  you  know,  prominent  among  the  Huguenot  leaders,  and 
others  of  our  relatives  are  ranged  on  the  same  side.  At  pres- 
ent there  is  a  truce,  but  both  parties  feel  that  it  is  a  hollow 
one;  nevertheless  it  offers  a  good  opportunity  for  him  to  visit 
his  mother's  family.  Whether  there  is  any  prospect  of  our 
ever  recovering  the  lands  which  were  confiscated  on  our  flight 
is  uncertain.  Should  the  Huguenots  ever  maintain  their 
ground  and  win  freedom  of  worship  in  France,  it  may  be  that 
the  confiscated  estates  will  in  many  cases  be  restored;  as  to 
that,  however,  I  am  perfectly  indifferent.  Were  I  a  younger 
man  I  should  close  my  factory,  return  to  France,  and  bear  my 
share  in  the  defence  of  the  faith.  As  it  is,  I  should  like  to 
send  Philip  over  as  my  substitute. 

"  It  would  at  any  rate  be  well  that  he  should  make  the  ac- 
quaintance of  his  kinsfolk  in  France,  although  even  I  should 
not  wish  that  he  should  cease  to  regard  England  as  his  native 
country  and  home.  Hundreds  of  young  men,  many  no  older 


30  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

than  himself,  are  in  Holland  fighting  against  the  persecutors, 
and  risking  their  lives,  though  having  no  kinship  with  the 
Dutch;  impelled  simply  by  their  love  of  the  faith  and  their 
hatred  of  persecution.  I  have  lately,  John,  though  the  matter 
has  been  kept  quiet,  purchased  the  farms  of  Blunt  and  Mar- 
dyke,  your  neighbours  on  either  hand.  Both  are  nearly  twice 
the  size  of  your  own.  I  have  arranged  with  the  men  that  for 
the  present  they  shall  continue  to  work  them  as  my  tenants,  as 
they  were  before  the  tenants  of  Sir  James  Holford,  who,  hav- 
ing wasted  his  money  at  court,  has  been  forced  to  sell  a  por- 
tion of  his  estates. 

"Thus  some  day  Phil  will  come  into  possession  of  land 
which  will  place  him  in  a  good  position,  and  I  am  prepared 
to  add  to  it  considerably.  Sir  James  Holford  still  gambles 
away  his  possessions,  and  I  have  explained  to  his  notary  my 
willingness  to  extend  my  purchases  at  any  time,  should  he 
desire  to  sell.  I  should  a  once  commence  the  building  of  a 
comfortable  mansion;  but  it  is  scarce  worth  while  to  do  so, 
for  it  is  probable  that  before  many  years  Sir  James  may  be 
driven  to  part  with  his  Hall  as  well  as  his  land.  In  the  mean- 
time I  am  ready  to  provide  Philip  with  an  income  which  will 
enable  him  to  take  his  place  with  credit  among  our  kinsfolk, 
and  to  raise  a  company  of  some  fifty  men  to  follow  him  in  the 
field,  should  Conde"  and  the  Huguenots  again  be  driven  to 
struggle  against  the  Guises.  What  do  you  think?  " 

"  I  think  in  the  first  place  that  Lucie  and  I  should  be  indeed 
grateful  to  you,  Gaspard,  for  your  generous  offer.  As  to  his 
going  to  France,  that  I  must  talk  over  with  his  mother,  whose 
wishes  in  this,  as  in  all  respects,  are  paramount  with  me.  But 
I  may  say  at  once,  that  lying  here  as  I  do,  thinking  of  the 
horrible  cruelties  and  oppressions  to  which  men  and  women 
are  subjected  for  the  faith's  sake  in  France  and  Holland,  I 
feel  that  we,  who  are  happily  able  to  worship  in  peace  and 
quiet,  ought  to  hesitate  at  no  sacrifice  on  their  behalf;  and, 
moreover,  seeing  that  owing  to  my  affliction  he  owes  what  he 
is  rather  to  his  mother  and  you  than  to  me,  I  think  your  wish 
that  he  should  make  the  acquaintance  of  his  kinsfolk  in  France 
is  a  natural  one.  I  have  no  wish  for  the  lad  to  become  a 
courtier,  English  or  French,  nor  that  he  should,  as  English- 


AN   IMPORTANT   DECISION  31 

men  have  done  before  now  in  foreign  armies,  gain  great  honour 
and  reputation;  but  if  it  is  his  wish  to  fight  on  behalf  of  the 
persecuted  people  of  God,  whether  in  France  or  in  Holland, 
he  will  do  so  with  my  heartiest  good-will,  and  if  he  die  he 
could  not  die  in  a  more  glorious  cause.  Let  us  talk  of  other 
matters  now,  Gaspard,  this  is  one  that  needs  thought  before 
more  words  are  spoken." 

Two  days  later  John  Fletcher  had  a  long  talk  with  Phil. 
The  latter  was  delighted  when  he  heard  the  project,  which 
was  greatly  in  accord  with  both  sides  of  his  character.  As  an 
English  lad  he  looked  forward  eagerly  to  adventure  and  peril; 
as  French  and  of  the  reformed  religion  he  was  rejoiced  at  the 
thought  of  fighting  with  the  Huguenots  against  their  persecut- 
ors, and  of  serving  under  the  men  with  whose  names  and 
reputations  he  was  so  familiar. 

"  I  do  not  know  your  uncle's  plans  for  you  as  yet,  Phil,"  his 
father  said.  "  He  went  not  into  such  matters,  leaving  these 
to  be  talked  over  after  it  had  been  settled  whether  his  offer 
should  be  accepted  or  not.  He  purposes  well  by  you,  and 
regards  you  as  his  heir.  He  has  already  bought  Blunt  and 
Mardyke's  farms,  and  purposes  to  buy  other  parts  of  the  estates 
of  Sir  James  Holford,  as  they  may  slip  through  the  knight's 
fingers  at  the  gambling-table.  Therefore  in  time  you  will 
become  a  person  of  standing  in  the  county;  and  although  I 
care  little  for  these  things  now,  Phil,  yet  I  should  like  you  to 
be  somewhat  more  than  a  mere  squire;  and  if  you  serve  for  a 
while  under  such  great  captains  as  Coligny  and  Conde"  it  will 
give  you  reputation  and  weight.  Your  good  uncle  and  his 
friends  think  little  of  such  matters,  but  I  own  that  I  am  not 
uninfluenced  by  them.  Coligny,  *or  example,  is  a  man  whom 
all  honour,  and  that  honour  is  not  altogether  because  he  is 
leader  of  the  reformed  faith,  but  because  he  is  a  great  soldier. 

"I  do  not  think  that  honour  and  reputation  are  to  be 
despised.  Doubtless  the  first  thing  of  all  is  that  a  man  should 
be  a  good  Christian.  But  that  will  in  no  way  prevent  him 
from  being  a  great  man;  nay,  it  will  add  to  his  greatness. 
You  have  noble  kinsfolk  in  France,  to  some  of  whom  your 
uncle  will  doubtless  commit  you,  and  it  may  be  that  you  will 
have  opportunities  of  distinguishing  yourself.  Should  such 


32  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

occur  I  am  sure  you  will  avail  yourself  of  them,  as  one  should 
do  who  comes  of  good  stock  on  both  sides;  for  although  we 
Fletchers  have  been  but  yeomen  from  generation  to  genera^ 
tion,  we  have  been  ever  ready  to  take  and  give  our  share  ol 
hard  blows  when  they  were  going;  and  there  have  been  few 
battles  fought  since  William  the  Norman  came  over  that  a 
Fletcher  has  not  fought  in  the  English  ranks,  whether  in 
France,  in  Scotland,  or  in  our  own  troubles. 

"  Therefore  it  seems  to  me  but  natural  that  for  many  rea- 
sons you  should  desire  at  your  age  to  take  part  in  the  fighting; 
as  an  Englishman,  because  Englishmen  fought  six  years  ago 
under  the  banner  of  Cond£ ;  as  a  Protestant,  on  behalf  of  our 
persecuted  brethren;  as  a  Frenchman  by  your  mother's  side, 
because  you  have  kinsfolk  engaged,  and  because  it  is  the  Pope 
and  Philip  of  Spain,  as  well  as  the  Guises,  who  are  in  fact 
battling  to  stamp  out  French  liberty.  Of  one  thing  I  am  sure, 
my  boy,  you  will  disgrace  neither  an  honest  English  name  nor 
the  French  blood  in  your  veins,  nor  your  profession  as  a  Chris- 
tian and  a  Protestant.  There  are  Engishmen  gaining  credit 
on  the  Spanish  Main  under  Drake  and  Hawkins,  there  are 
Englishmen  fighting  manfully  by  the  side  of  the  Dutch,  there 
are  others  in  the  armies  of  the  Protestant  princes  of  Germany, 
and  in  none  of  these  matters  are  they  so  deeply  concerned  as 
you  are  in  the  affairs  of  France  and  religion. 

"I  shall  miss  you,  of  course,  Philip,  and  that  sorely;  but  I 
have  long  seen  that  this  would  probably  be  the  upshot  of  your 
training,  and  since  I  can  myself  take  no  share  in  adventure 
beyond  the  walls  of  this  house,  I  shall  feel  that  I  am  living 
again  in  you.  But,  lad,  never  forget  that  you  are  English. 
You  are  Philip  Fletcher,  come  of  an  old  Kentish  stock,  and 
though  you  may  be  living  with  French  kinsfolk  and  friends, 
always  keep  uppermost  the  fact  that  you  are  an  Englishman 
who  sympathizes  with  France,  and  not  a  Frenchman  with 
some  English  blood  in  your  veins.  I  have  given  you  up 
greatly  to  your  French  relations  here ;  but  if  you  win  credit 
and  honour  I  would  have  it  won  by  my  son,  Philip  Fletcher, 
born  in  England  of  an  English  father,  and  who  will  one  day 
be  a  gentleman  and  land-owner  in  the  county  of  Kent." 

"I  sha'n't  forget  that,  father,"  Philip  said  earnestly.     "I 


AN   IMPORTANT   DECISION  33 

have  never  regarded  myself  as  in  any  way  French,  although 
speaking  the  tongue  as  well  as  English,  and  being  so  much 
among  my  mother's  friends.  But  living  here  with  you,  where 
our  people  have  lived  so  many  years,  hearing  from  you  the 
tales  from  our  history,  seeing  these  English  fields  around  me, 
and  being  at  an  English  school  among  English  boys,  I  have 
ever  felt  that  I  am '  English,  though  in  no  way  regretting  the 
Huguenot  blood  that  I  inherit  from  my  mother.  Believe  me, 
that  if  I  fight  in  France  it  will  be  as  an  Englishman  who  has 
drawn  his  sword  in  the  quarrel,  and  rather  as  one  who  hates 
oppression  and  cruelty  than  because  I  have  French  kinsmen 
engaged  in  it." 

"  That  is  well,  Philip.  You  may  be  away  for  some  years, 
but  I  trust  that  on  your  return  you  will  find  me  sitting  here  to 
welcome  you  back.  A  creaking  wheel  lasts  long.  I  have 
everything  to  make  my  life  happy  and  peaceful — the  best  of 
wives,  a  well-ordered  farm,  and  no  thought  or  care  as  to  my 
worldly  affairs;  and  since  it  has  been  God's  will  that  such 
should  be  my  life,  my  interest  will  be  wholly  centred  in  you, 
and  I  hope  to  see  your  children  playing  round  me,  or,  for 
aught  I  know,  your  grandchildren,  for  we  are  a  long-lived 
race.  And  now,  Philip,  you  had  best  go  down  and  see  your 
uncle  and  thank  him  for  his  good  intentions  towards  you. 
Tell  him  that  I  wholly  agree  with  his  plans,  and  that  if  he  and 
your  aunt  will  come  up  this  evening  we  will  enter  farther  into 
them." 

That  evening  John  Fletcher  learned  that  it  was  the  inten- 
tion of  Gaspard  that  his  wife  should  accompany  Philip. 

"Marie  yearns  to  see  her  people  again,"  he  said,  "and  the 
present  is  a  good  time  for  her  to  do  so;  for  when  the  war  once 
breaks  out  again  none  can  say  how  long  it  will  last  or  how  it 
will  terminate.  Her  sister  and  Lucie's,  the  Countess  de 
Laville,  has,  as  you  know,  frequently  written  urgently  for 
Marie  to  go  over  and  pay  her  a  visit.  Hitherto  I  have  never 
been  able  to  bring  myself  to  spare  her,  but  I  feel  that  this  is 
so  good  an  opportunity  that  I  must  let  her  go  for  a  few  weeks. 
Philip  could  not  be  introduced  under  better  auspices.  He 
will  escort  Marie  to  his  aunt's,  remain  there  with  her,  and 
then  see  her  on  board  ship  again  at  La  Rochelle,  after  which, 


34  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

doubtless,  he  will  remain  at  his  aunt's,  and  when  the  struggle 
begins  will  ride  with  his  cousin  Francois.  I  have  hesitated 
whether  I  should  go  also.  But,  in  the  first  place,  my  busi- 
ness would  get  on  but  badly  without  me;  in  the  second, 
although  Marie  might  travel  safely  enough,  I  might  be  arrested 
were  I  recognized  as  one  who  had  left  the  kingdom  contrary 
to  the  edicts;  and  lastly,  I  never  was  on  very  good  terms  with 
her  family. 

"  Emilie,  in  marrying  the  Count  de  Laville,  made  a  match 
somewhat  above  her  own  rank;  for  the  Lavilles  were  a 
wealthier  and  more  powerful  family  than  that  of  Charles  de 
Moulins,  her  father.  On  the  other  hand,  I  was,  although  of 
good  birth,  yet  inferior  in  consideration  to  De  Moulins, 
although  my  lands  were  broader  than  his;  consequently  we 
saw  little  of  Emilie  after  our  marriage.  Therefore  my  being 
with  Marie  would  in  no  way  increase  the  warmth  of  the  wel- 
come that  she  and  Philip  will  receive.  I  may  say  that  the 
estrangement  was,  perhaps,  more  my  fault  than  that  of  the 
Lavilles.  I  chose  to  fancy  there  was  a  coolness  on  their  part, 
which  probably  existed  only  in  my  imagination.  Moreover, 
shortly  after  my  marriage  the  religious  troubles  grew  serious, 
and  we  were  all  too  much  absorbed  in  our  own  perils  and 
those  of  our  poorer  neighbours  to  think  of  travelling  about, 
or  of  having  family  gatherings. 

"At  any  rate,  I  feel  that  Philip  could  not  enter  into  life 
more  favourably  than  as  cousin  of  Francois  de  Laville,  who  is 
but  two  years  or  so  his  senior,  and  who  will,  his  mother  wrote 
to  Marie,  ride  behind  that  gallant  gentleman  Francois  de  la 
Noue  if  the  war  breaks  out  again.  I  am  glad  to  feel  confi- 
dent that  Philip  will  in  no  way  bring  discredit  upon  his  rela- 
tions. I  shall  at  once  order  clothes  for  him  suitable  for  the 
occasion.  They  will  be  such  as  will  befit  an  English  gentle- 
man; good  in  material  but  sober  in  colour,  for  the  Huguenots 
eschew  bright  hues.  I  will  take  his  measure,  and  send  up  to 
a  friend  in  London  for  a  helmet,  breast,  and  back  pieces, 
together  with  offensive  arms,  sword,  dagger,  and  pistols.  I 
have  already  written  to  correspondents  at  Southampton  and 
Plymouth  for  news  as  to  the  sailing  of  a  ship  bound  for  La 
Rochelle.  There  he  had  better  take  four  men  into  his  ser- 


AN   IMPORTANT   DECISION  35 

vice,  for  in  these  days  it  is  by  no  means  safe  to  ride  through 
France  unattended,  especially  when  one  is  of  the  reformed 
religion.  The  roads  abound  with  disbanded  soldiers  and 
robbers,  while  in  the  villages  a  fanatic  might  at  any  time  bring 
on  a  religious  tumult.  I  have  many  correspondents  at  La 
Rochelle,  and  will  write  to  one  asking  him  to  select  four  stout 
fellows,  who  showed  their  courage  in  the  last  war  and  can  be 
relied  on  for  good  and  faithful  service.  I  will  also  get  him 
to  buy  horses  and  make  all  arrangements  for  the  journey. 
Marie  will  write  to  her  sister.  Lucie,  perhaps,  had  better 
write  under  the  same  cover;  for  although  she  can  remember 
but  little  of  Emilie,  seeing  that  she  was  fully  six  years  her 
junior,  it  would  be  natural  that  she  should  take  the  opportu- 
nity to  correspond  with  her. 

"In  one  respect,  Phil,"  he  went  on,  turning  to  his  nephew, 
"you  will  find  yourself  at  some  disadvantage,  perhaps,  among 
young  Frenchmen.  You  can  ride  well,  and  I  think  can  sit  a 
horse  with  any  of  them;  but  of  the  menage,  that  is  to  say,  the 
purely  ornamental  management  of  a  horse,  in  which  they 
are  most  carefully  instructed,  you  know  nothing.  It  is  one  of 
the  tricks  of  fashion,  of  which  plain  men  like  myself  know  but 
little;  and  though  I  have  often  made  inquiries,  I  have  found 
no  one  who  could  instruct  you.  However,  these  delicacies 
are  rather  for  courtly  displays  than  for  the  rough  work  of  war; 
though  it  must  be  owned  that  in  single  combat  between  two 
swordsmen,  he  who  has  the  most  perfect  control  over  his 
horse,  and  can  make  the  animal  wheel  or  turn,  press  upon  his 
opponent,  or  give  way  by  a  mere  touch  of  his  leg  or  hand, 
possesses  a  considerable  advantage  over  the  man  who  is  un- 
versed in  such  matters.  I  hope  you  will  not  feel  the  want  of 
it,  and  at  any  rate  it  has  not  been  my  fault  that  you  have  had 
no  opportunity  of  acquiring  the  art. 

"The  tendency  is  more  and  more  to  fight  on  foot.  The 
duel  has  taken  the  place  of  the  combat  in  the  lists,  and  the 
pikeman  counts  for  as  much  in  the  winning  of  a  battle  as  the 
mounted  man.  You  taught  us  that  at  Cressy  and  Agincourt; 
but  we  have  been  slow  to  learn  the  lesson  which  was  brought 
home  to  you  in  your  battles  with  the  Scots,  and  in  your  own 
civil  struggles.  It  is  the  bow  and  the  pike  that  have  made  the 


36  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

English  soldier  famous;  while  in  France,  where  the  feudal 
system  still  prevails,  horsemen  still  form  a  large  proportion 
of  our  armies,  and  the  jousting  lists  and  the  exercise  of  the 
menage  still  occupy  a  large  share  in  the  training  and  amuse- 
ments of  the  young  men  of  noble  families." 

Six  weeks  later  Philip  Fletcher  landed  at  La  Rochelle  with 
his  aunt  and  her  French  serving-maid.  When  the  ship  came 
into  port,  the  clerk  of  a  trader  there  came  on  board  at  once, 
and  on  the  part  of  his  employer  begged  Madame  Vaillant  and 
her  son  to  take  up  their  abode  at  his  house,  he  having  been 
warned  of  their  coming  by  his  valued  correspondent,  Mon- 
sieur Vaillant.  A  porter  was  engaged  to  carry  up  their  lug- 
gage to  the  house,  whither  the  clerk  at  once  conducted  them. 
From  his  having  lived  so  long  among  the  Huguenot  colony, 
the  scene  was  less  strange  to  Philip  than  it  would  have  been 
to  most  English  lads.  La  Rochelle  was  a  strongly  Protestant 
city,  and  the  sober-coloured  costumes  of  the  people  differed 
but  little  from  those  to  which  he  was  accustomed  in  the  streets 
of  Canterbury.  He  himself  and  his  aunt  attracted  no  atten- 
tion whatever  from  passers-by,  her  costume  being  exactly  simi- 
lar to  those  worn  by  the  wives  of  merchants,  while  Philip 
would  have  passed  anywhere  as  a  young  Huguenot  gentleman, 
in  his  doublet  of  dark  puce  cloth,  slashed  with  gray,  his  trunks 
of  the  same  colour,  and  long  gray  hose. 

"A  proper-looking  young  gentleman,"  a  market-woman  said 
to  her  daughter  as  he  passed.  "  Another  two  or  three  years 
and  he  will  make  a  rare  defender  of  the  faith.  He  must  be 
from  Normandy,  with  his  fair  complexion  and  light  eyes. 
There  are  not  many  of  the  true  faith  in  the  north." 

They  were  met  by  the  merchant  at  the  door  of  his  house. 

"I  am  glad  indeed  to  see  you  again,  Madame  Vaillant,"  he 
said.  "  It  is  some  twenty  years  now  since  you  and  your  good 
husband  and  your  sister  hid  here  for  three  days  before  we 
could  smuggle  you  on  board  a  ship.  Ah !  those  were  bad  times; 
though  there  have  been  worse  since.  But  since  our  people 
showed  that  they  did  not  intend  any  longer  to  be  slaughtered 
unresistingly,  things  have  gone  better  here  at  least,  and  for  the 
last  four  years  the  slaughterings  and  murders  have  ceased. 
You  are  but  little  changed,  madame,  since  I  saw  you  last." 


AN   IMPORTANT   DECISION  37 

"I  have  lived  a  quiet  and  happy  life,  my  good  Monsieur 
Bertram;  free  from  all  strife  and  care,  save  for  anxiety  about 
our  people  here.  Why  cannot  Catholics  and  Protestants  live 
quietly  side  by  side  here,  as  they  do  in  England?" 

"We  should  ask  nothing  better,  madame." 

At  this  moment  a  girl  came  hurrying  down  the  stairs. 

"  This  is  my  daughter  Jean,  madame:  Why  were  you  not 
down  before,  Jean?  "  he  asked  sharply.  "I  told  you  to  place 
Suzette  at  the  casement  to  warn  you  when  our  visitors  were  in 
sight,  so  that  you  should,  as  was  proper,  be  at  the  door  to 
meet  them.  I  suppose  instead  of  that  you  had  the  maid 
arranging  your  head-gear,  or  some  such  worldly  folly." 

The  girl  coloured  hotly,  for  her  father  had  hit  upon  the 
truth. 

"Young  people  will  be  young  people,  Monsieur  Bertram," 
Madame  Vaillant  said  smiling,  "  and  my  husband  and  I  are 
not  of  those  who  think  that  it  is  necessary  to  carry  a  prim 
face  and  to  attire  one's  self  in  ugly  garments  as  a  proof  of 
religion.  Youth  is  the  time  for  mirth  and  happiness,  and 
nature  teaches  a  maiden  what  is  becoming  to  her;  why  then 
should  we  blame  her  for  setting  off  the  charms  God  has  given 
her  to  their  best  advantage?  " 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  upper  storey,  and  the 
merchant's  daughter  hastened  to  relieve  Madame  Vaillant  of 
her  wraps. 

"This  is  my  nephew,  of  whom  my  husband  wrote  to  you," 
the  latter  said  to  the  merchant,  when  Philip  entered  the  room 
— he  having  lingered  at  the  door  to  pay  the  porters,  and  to 
see  that  the  luggage,  which  had  come  up  close  behind  them, 
was  stored. 

"  He  looks  active  and  strong,  madame ;  he  has  the  figure  of 
a  fine  swordsman." 

"  He  has  been  well  taught,  and  will  do  no  discredit  to  our 
race,  Monsieur  Bertram.  His  father  is  a  strong  and  power- 
ful man,  even  for  an  Englishman,  and  though  Philip  does  not 
follow  his  figure  he  has  something  of  his  strength." 

"They  are  wondrous  strong,  these  Englishmen,"  the  trader 
said.  "  I  have  seen  among  their  sailors  men  who  are  taller 
by  a  head  than  most  of  us  here,  and  who  look  strong  enough 


38  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

to  take  a  bull  by  the  horns  and  hold  him.  But  had  it  not 
been  for  your  nephew's  fair  hair  and  gray  eyes,  his  complex- 
ion, and  the  smile  on  his  lips — we  have  almost  forgotten  how 
to  smile  in  France — I  should  hardly  have  taken  him  for  an 
Englishman." 

"  There  is  nothing  extraordinary  in  that,  Monsieur  Bertram, 
when  his  mother  is  French,  and  he  has  lived  greatly  in  the 
society  of  my  husband  and  myself,  and  among  the  Huguenot 
colony  at  Canterbury." 

"Have  you  succeeded  in  getting  the  horses  and  the  four 
men  for  us,  Monsieur  Bertram?"  Philip  asked. 

"Yes,  everything  is  in  readiness  for  your  departure  to- 
morrow. Madame  will,  I  suppose,  ride  behind  you  upon  a 
pillion,  and  her  maid  behind  one  of  the  troopers.  I  have, 
in  accordance  with  Monsieur  Vaillant's  instructions,  bought 
a  horse,  which  I  think  you  will  be  pleased  with,  for  Guise 
himself  might  ride  upon  it  without  feeling  that  he  was  ill 
mounted.  I  was  fortunate  in  lighting  on  such  an  animal.  It 
was  the  property  of  a  young  noble,  who  rode  hither  from 
Navarre  and  was  sailing  for  England.  I  imagine  he  bore  de- 
spatches from  the  queen  to  her  majesty  of  England.  He  had 
been  set  upon  by  robbers  on  the  way;  they  took  everything  he 
possessed,  and  held  him  prisoner,  doubtless  meaning  to  get  a 
ransom  for  him;  but  he  managed  to  slip  off  while  they  slept 
and  to  mount  his  horse,  with  which  he  easily  left  the  varlets 
behind,  although  they  chased  him  for  some  distance.  So 
when  he  came  here  he  offered  to  sell  his  horse  to  obtain  an 
outfit  and  money  for  his  voyage ;  and  the  landlord  of  the  inn, 
who  is  a  friend  of  mine,  knowing  that  I  had  been  inquiring 
for  a  good  animal,  brought  him  to  me,  and  we  soon  struck  a 
bargain." 

"It  was  hard  on  him  to  lose  his  horse  in  that  fashion," 
Philip  said;  "and  I  am  sorry  for  it,  though  I  may  be  the 
gainer  thereby." 

"He  did  not  seem  to  mind  much,"  the  merchant  said. 
"  Horses  are  good  and  abundant  in  Navarre,  and  when  I  said 
I  did  not  like  to  take  advantage  of  his  strait  he  only  laughed 
and  said  he  had  three  or  four  others  as  good  at  home.  He 
did  say,  though,  that  he  would  like  to  know  if  it  was  to  be  in 


AN  IMPORTANT   DECISION  39 

good  hands.  I  assured  him  that  on  that  ground  he  need  not 
fear;  for  that  I  had  bought  it  for  a  young  gentleman,  nearly 
related  to  the  Countess  de  Laville.  He  said  that  was  well, 
and  seemed  glad  indeed  that  it  was  not  to  be  ridden  by  one  of 
the  brigands,  into  whose  hands  he  fell." 

"And  the  men.  Are  they  trustworthy  fellows?" 
"They  are  stout  men-at-arms.  They  are  Gascons  all,  and 
rode  behind  Coligny  in  the  war,  and  according  to  their  own 
account  performed  wonders;  but  as  Gascons  are  given  to 
boasting,  I  paid  not  much  heed  to  that.  However,  they  were 
recommended  to  me  by  a  friend,  a  large  wine-grower,  for 
whom  they  have  been  working  for  the  last  two  years.  He 
says  they  are  honest  and  industrious,  and  they  are  leaving  him 
only  because  they  are  anxious  for  a  change,  and  deeming  that 
troubles  were  again  approaching,  wanted  to  enter  the  service 
of  some  Huguenot  lord  who  would  be  likely  to  take  the  field. 
He  was  lamenting  the  fact  to  me,  when  I  said  that  it  seemed 
to  me  they  were  just  the  men  I  was  in  search  of;  and  I 
accordingly  saw  them,  and  engaged  them  on  the  understand- 
ing that  at  the  end  of  a  month  you  should  be  free  to  dis- 
charge them  if  you  were  not  satisfied  with  them,  and  that 
equally  they  could  leave  your  service  if  they  did  not  find  it 
suit. 

"  They  have  arms,  of  course,  and  such  armour  as  they  need, 
and  I  have  bought  four  serviceable  horses  for  their  use,  to- 
gether with  a  horse  to  carry  your  baggage,  but  which  will 
serve  for  your  body-servant.  I  have  not  found  a  man  for  that 
office.  I  knew  of  no  one  who  would,  as  I  thought,  suit  you, 
and  in  such  a  business  it  seemed  to  me  better  that  you  should 
wait  and  choose  for  yourself,  for  in  the  matter  of  servants 
everyone  has  his  fancies.  Some  like  a  silent  knave,  while 
others  prefer  a  merry  one.  Some  like  a  tall  proper  fellow, 
who  can  fight  if  needs  be;  others  a  staid  man,  who  will  do 
his  duty  and  hold  his  tongue,  who  can  cook  a  good  dinner 
and  groom  a  horse  well.  It  is  certain  you  will  never  find  all 
virtues  combined.  One  man  may  be  all  that  you  wish,  but 
he  is  a  liar;  another  helps  himself;  a  third  is  too  fond  of  the 
bottle.  In  this  matter,  then,  I  did  not  care  to  take  the 
responsibility,  but  have  left  it  for  you  to  choose  for  yourself." 


40  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"  I  shall  be  more  likely  to  make  -a  mistake  than  you  will, 
Monsieur  Bertram,"  Philip  said  with  a  laugh. 

"Perhaps  so,  but  then  it  will  be  your  own  mistake;  and  a 
man  chafes  less  at  the  shortcomings  of  one  whom  he  has  chosen 
himself  than  at  those  of  one  who  has,  as  it  were,  been  forced 
upon  him." 

"Well,  there  will  be  no  hurry  in  that  matter,"  Philip  said. 
"  I  can  get  on  well  enough  without  a  servant  for  a  time.  Up 
to  the  present  I  have  certainly  never  given  a  thought  as  to 
what  kind  of  man  I  should  want  as  a  servant,  and  I  should 
like  time  to  think  over  a  matter  which  is,  from  what  you  say, 
so  important." 

"  Assuredly  it  is  important,  young  sir.  If  you  should  take 
the  field  you  will  find  that  your  comfort  greatly  depends  upon 
it.  A  sharp,  active  knave,  who  will  ferret  out  good  quarters  for 
you,  turn  you  out  a  good  meal  from  anything  he  can  get  hold 
of,  bring  your  horse  up  well  groomed  in  the  morning  and 
your  armour  brightly  polished;  who  will  not  lie  to  you  over- 
much or  rob  you  overmuch,  and  who  will  only  get  drunk  at 
times  when  you  can  spare  his  services.  Ah !  he  would  be  a 
treasure  to  you.  But  assuredly  such  a  man  is  not  to  be  found 
every  day." 

"And  of  course,"  Marie  put  in,  "in  addition  to  what  you 
have  said,  Monsieur  Bertram,  it  would  be  necessary  that  he 
should  be  one  of  our  religion,  and  fervent  and  strong  in  the 
faith." 

"My  dear  lady,  I  was  mentioning  possibilities,"  the  trader 
said.  "  It  is  of  course  advisable  that  he  should  be  a  Hugue- 
not, it  is  certainly  essential  that  he  should  not  be  a  Papist; 
but  beyond  this  we  need  not  inquire  too  closely.  You  cannot 
expect  the  virtues  of  an  archbishop  and  the  capacity  of  a 
horseboy.  If  he  can  find  a  man  embracing  the  qualities  of 
both,  by  all  means  let  your  son  engage  him ;  but  as  he  will 
require  him  to  be  a  good  cook  and  a  good  groom,  and  he  will 
not  require  religious  instruction  from  him,  the  former  points 
are  those  on  which  I  should  advise  him  to  lay  most  stress. 
And  now,  Madame  Vaillant,  will  you  let  me  lead  you  into  the 
next  room,  where,  as  my  daughter  has  for  some  time  been 
trying  to  make  me  understand,  a  meal  is  ready.  And  I  doubt 


AN   IMPORTANT   DECISION  41 

not  that  you  are  also  ready;  for  truly  those  who  travel  by  sea 
are  seldom  able  to  enjoy  food,  save  when  they  are  much  ac- 
customed to  voyaging.  Though  they  tell  me  that  after  a  time 
even  those  with  the  most  delicate  stomachs  recover  their 
appetites,  and  are  able  to  enjoy  the  rough  fare  they  get  on 
board  a  ship." 

After  the  meal  was  over  the  merchant  took  Philip  to  the 
stables,  where  the  new  purchases  had  been  put  up.  The  men 
were  not  there,  but  the  ostler  brought  out  Philip's  horse,  with 
which  he  was  delighted. 

"He  will  not  tire  under  his  double  load,"  the  merchant 
said;  "and  with  only  your  weight  upon  him  a  foeman  would 
be  well  mounted  indeed  to  overtake  you." 

"  I  would  rather  that  you  put  it,  Monsieur  Bertram,  that  a 
foeman  needs  be  well  mounted  to  escape  me." 

"Well,  I  hope  it  will  be  that  way,"  his  host  replied  smiling. 
"But  in  fighting,  such  as  we  have  here,  there  are  constant 
changes;  the  party  that  is  pursued  one  day  is  the  pursuer  a 
week  later,  and  of  the  two,  you  know,  speed  is  of  much  more 
importance  in  flight  than  in  pursuit.  If  you  cannot  overtake 
a  foe,  well,  he  gets  away,  and  you  may  have  better  fortune  next 
time;  but  if  you  can't  get  away  from  a  foe,  the  chances  are 
you  may  never  have  another  opportunity  of  doing  so." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right.  In  fact,  now  I  think  of  it,  I  am 
sure  you  are ;  though  I  hope  it  will  not  often  happen  that  we 
shall  have  to  depend  for  safety  on  the  speed  of  our  horses. 
At  any  rate,  I  am  delighted  with  him,  Monsieur  Bertram,  and 
I  thank  you  greatly  for  procuring  so  fine  an  animal  for  me. 
If  the  four  men  turn  out  to  be  as  good  of  their  kind  as  the 
horse,  I  shall  be  well  set  up  indeed." 

Early  the  next  morning  the  four  men  came  round  to  the 
merchant's,  and  Philip  went  down  with  him  into  the  entry-hall 
where  they  were.  He  was  well  satisfied  with  their  appearance. 
They  were  stout  fellows,  from  twenty-six  to  thirty  years  old. 
All  were  soberly  dressed,  and  wore  steel  caps  and  breast-pieces, 
and  carried  long  swords  by  their  sides.  In  spite  of  the  serious 
expression  of  their  faces,  Philip  saw  that  all  were  in  high  if 
restrained  spirits  at  again  taking  service. 

"  This  is  your  employer,  the  Sieur  Philip  Fletcher.     I  have 


42  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

warranted  that  he  shall  find  you  good  and  true  men,  and  I 
hope  you  will  do  justice  to  my  recommendation." 

"We  will  do  our  best,"  Roger,  the  eldest  of  the  party,  said. 
"We  are  all  right  glad  to  be  moving  again.  It  is  not  as  if  we 
had  been  bred  on  the  soil  here,  and  a  man  never  takes  to  a 
strange  place  as  to  one  he  was  born  in." 

"You  are  Gascons,  Maitre  Bertram  tells  me?"  Philip  said. 

"Yes,  sir;  we  were  driven  out  from  there  ten  years  ago, 
when  the  troubles  were  at  their  worst.  Our  fathers  were  both 
killed,  and  we  travelled  with  our  mothers  and  sisters  by  night 
through  the  country  till  we  got  to  La  Rochelle." 

"  You  say  both  your  fathers.  How  are  you  related  to  each 
other?" 

"Jacques  and  I  are  brothers,"  Roger  said,  touching  the 
youngest  of  the  party  on  his  shoulder.  "  Eustace  and  Henri 
are  brothers,  and  are  our  cousins.  Their  father  and  ours  were 
brothers.  When  the  troubles  broke  out  we  four  took  service 
with  the  Count  de  Luc,  and  followed  him  throughout  the  war. 
When  it  was  over  we  came  back  here.  Our  mothers  had 
married  again.  Some  of  our  sisters  had  taken  husbands  too, 
others  were  in  service;  therefore  we  remained  here  rather  than 
return  to  Gascony,  where  our  friends  and  relations  had  all 
been  either  killed  or  dispersed.  We  were  lucky  in  getting 
employment  together,  but  were  right  glad  when  we  heard  that 
there  was  an  opening  again  for  service.  For  the  last  two  years 
we  have  been  looking  forward  to  it;  for,  as  everyone  sees,  it 
cannot  be  long  before  the  matter  must  be  fought  out  again. 
And,  in  truth,  we  have  been  wearying  for  the  time  to  come; 
for  after  having  had  a  year  of  fighting  one  does  not  settle 
down  readily  to  tilling  the  soil.  You  will  find  that  you  can 
rely  on  us,  sir,  for  faithful  service ;  we  all  bore  a  good  reputa- 
tion as  stout  fighters,  and  during  the  time  we  were  in  harness 
before  we  none  of  us  got  into  trouble  for  being  overfond  of 
the  wine-pots." 

"I  think  you  will  suit  me  very  well,"  Philip  said,  "and  I 
hope  that  my  service  will  suit  you.  Although  an  Englishman 
by  birth  and  name,  my  family  have  suffered  persecution  here 
as  yours  have  done,  and  I  am  as  warmly  affected  to  the  Hugue- 
not cause  as  yourselves.  If  there  is  danger  you  will  not  find 


AN  IMPORTANT  DECISION  43 

me  lacking  in  leading  you,  and  so  far  as  I  can  I  shall  try  to 
make  my  service  a  comfortable  one  and  to  look  after  your 
welfare.  We  shall  be  ready  to  start  in  half  an  hour,  therefore 
have  the  horses  round  at  the  door  in  that  time.  One  of  the 
pillions  is  to  be  placed  on  my  own  horse.  You  had  better 
put  the  other  for  the  maid  behind  your  saddle,  Roger;  you 
being,  I  take  it,  the  oldest  of  your  party,  had  better  take 
charge  of  her."  The  men  saluted  and  went  out. 

"I  like  their  looks  much,"  Philip  said  to  the  merchant. 
"  Stout  fellows  and  cheerful,  I  should  say.  Like  my  aunt  I 
don't  see  why  we  should  carry  long  faces,  Monsieur  Bertram, 
because  we  have  reformed  our  religion,  and  I  believe  that  a 
light  heart  and  good  spirits  will  stand  wear  and  tear  better 
than  a  sad  visage." 

The  four  men  were  no  less  pleased  with  their  new  employer. 

"That  is  a  lad  after  my  own  heart,"  Roger  said  as  they  went 
out.  "  Quick  and  alert,  pleasant  of  face,  and  yet,  I  will  be 
bound,  not  easily  turned  from  what  he  has  set  his  mind  to. 
He  bears  himself  well,  and  I  doubt  not  can  use  his  weapons. 
I  don't  know  what  stock  he  comes  from  on  this  side,  but  I 
warrant  it  is  a  good  one.  He  will  make  a  good  master,  lads; 
I  think  that,  as  he  says,  he  will  be  thoughtful  as  to  our  com- 
forts, and  be  pleasant  and  cheerful  with  us;  but  mind  you,  he 
will  expect  the  work  to  be  done,  and  you  will  find  that  there 
is  no  trifling  with  him." 


CHAPTER   III 

IN  A   FRENCH   CHATEAU 

THE  three  days'  ride  to  the  chateau  of  the  Countess  de 
Laville  was  marked  by  no  incident.  To  Philip  it  was  an 
exceedingly  pleasant  one — everything  was  new  to  him;  the 
architecture  of  the  churches  and  villages,  the  dress  of  the 
people,  their  modes  of  n^n  culture,  all  differing  widely  from 
those  to  which  he  was  accustomed.  In  some  villages  the 
Catholics  predominated,  and  here  the  passage  of  the  little 
party  was  regarded  with  frowning  brows  and  muttered  threats; 
by  the  Huguenots  they  were  saluted  respectfully,  and  if  they 
halted,  many  questions  were  asked  their  followers  as  to  news 
about  the  intentions  of  the  court,  the  last  rumours  as  to  the 
attitude  of  Conde",  and  the  prospects  of  a  continuance  of  peace. 

Here,  too,  great  respect  was  paid  to  Marie  and  Philip  when 
it  was  known  they  were  relatives  of  the  Countess  de  Laville, 
and  belonged  to  the  family  of  the  De  Moulins.  Emilie  had 
for  some  time  been  a  widow;  the  count,  her  husband,  having 
fallen  at  the  battle  of  Dreux  at  the  end  of  the  year  1562;  but 
being  an  active  and  capable  woman,  she  had  taken  into  her 
hands  the  entire  management  of  the  estates,  and  was  one  of 
the  most  influential  among  the  Huguenot  nobles  of  that  part 
of  the  country. 

From  their  last  halting-place  Marie  Vaillant  sent  on  a  letter 
by  one  of  the  men  to  her  sister,  announcing  their  coming. 
She  had  written  on  her  landing  at  La  Rochelle,  and  they  had 
been  met  on  their  way  by  a  messenger  from  the  countess,  ex- 
pressing her  delight  that  her  sister  had  at  last  carried  out  her 


IN   A    FRENCH    CHATEAU  45 

promise  to  visit  her,  and  saying  that  Francois  was  looking 
eagerly  for  the  coming  of  his  cousin. 

The  chateau  was  a  semi-fortified  building,  capable  of  mak- 
ing a  stout  resistance  against  any  sudden  attack.  It  stood  on 
the  slope  of  a  hill,  and  Philip  felt  a  little  awed  at  its  stately 
aspect  as  they  approached  it.  When  they  were  still  a  mile 
away  a  party  of  horsemen  rode  out  from  the  gateway,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  their  leader  reined  up  his  horse  in  front  of 
them,  and  springing  from  it  advanced  towards  Philip,  who 
also  alighted  and  helped  his  aunt  to  dismount. 

"My  dear  aunt,"  the  young  fellow  said  doffing  his  cap,  "I 
am  come  in  the  name  of  my  mother  to  greet  you,  and  to  tell 
you  how  joyful  she  is  that  you  have  at  last  come  back  to  us. 
This  is  my  Cousin  Philip,  of  course;  though  you  are  not  what 
I  expected  to  see.  My  mother  told  me  that  you  were  two 
years  my  junior,  and  I  had  looked  to  find  you  still  a  boy;  but, 
by  my  faith,  you  seem  to  be  as  old  as  I  am.  Why,  you  are 
taller  by  two  inches,  and  broader  and  stronger  too,  I  should 
say.  Can  it  be  true  that  you  are  but  sixteen?  " 

"That  is  my  age,  Cousin  Francois,  and  I  am,  as  you  ex- 
pected, but  a  boy  yet,  and,  I  can  assure  you,  no  taller  or 
broader  than  many  of  my  English  school-fellows  of  the  same 
age." 

"But  we  must  not  delay,  aunt,"  Francois  said,  turning 
again  to  her.  "My  mother's  commands  were  urgent  that  I 
was  not  to  delay  a  moment  in  private  talk  with  you,  but  to 
bring  you  speedily  on  to  her;  therefore  I  pray  you  to  mount 
again  and  ride  on  with  me,  for  doubtless  she  is  watching  im- 
patiently now,  and  will  chide  me  rarely  if  we  linger." 

Accordingly  the  party  remounted  at  once,  and  rode  forward 
to  the  chateau.  A  dozen  men-at-arms  were  drawn  up  at  the 
gate,  and  on  the  steps  of  the  entrance  from  the  courtyard  into 
the  chateau  itself  the  countess  was  standing.  Francois  leapt 
from  his  horse,  and  was  by  the  side  of  his  aunt  as  Philip  reined 
in  his  horse.  Taking  his  hand  she  sprang  lightly  from  the 
saddle,  and  in  a  moment  the  two  sisters  fell  into  each  others' 
arms.  It  was  more  than  twenty  years  since  they  last  met,  but 
time  had  dealt  gently  with  them  both.  The  countess  had 
changed  least.  She  was  two  or  three  years  older  than  Marie, 


46  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

was  tall,  and  had  been  somewhat  stately  even  as  a  girl.  She 
had  had  many  cares,  but  her  position  had  always  been  assured; 
as  the  wife  of  a  powerful  noble  she  had  been  accustomed  to 
be  treated  with  deference  and  respect;  and  although  the 
troubles  of  the  times  and  the  loss  of  her  husband  had  left  their 
marks,  she  was  still  a  fair  and  stately  woman  at  the  age  of 
forty-three.  Marie,  upon  the  other  hand,  had  lived  an  un- 
troubled life  for  the  past  twenty  years.  She  had  married  a 
man  who  was  considered  beneath  her,  but  the  match  had  been 
in  every  way  a  happy  one ;  her  husband  was  devoted  to  her, 
and  the  expression  of  her  face  showed  that  she  was  a  thor- 
oughly contented  and  happy  woman. 

"You  are  just  what  I  fancied  you  would  be,  Marie,  a  quiet 
little  home-bird,  living  in  your  nest  beyond  the  sea,  and  free 
from  all  the  troubles  and  anxieties  of  our  unhappy  country. 
You  have  been  good  to  write  so  often,  far  better  than  I  have 
been,  and  I  seem  to  know  all  about  your  quiet,  well-ordered 
home,  and  your  good  husband  and  his  business  that  flourishes 
so.  I  thought  you  were  a  little  foolish  in  your  choice,  and 
that  our  father  was  wrong  in  mating  you  as  he  did;  but  it  has 
turned  out  well,  and  you  have  been  living  in  quiet  waters 
while  we  have  been  encountering  a  sea  of  troubles.  And  this 
tall  youth  is  our  nephew,  Philip?  I  wish  you  could  have 
brought  over  Lucie  with  you.  It  would  have  been  pleasant 
indeed  for  us  three  sisters  to  be  reunited  again,  if  only  for  a 
time.  Why,  your  Philip  is  taller  than  Francois,  and  yet  he 
is  two  years  younger.  I  congratulate  you  and  Lucie  upon 
him.  Salute  me,  nephew;  I  had  not  looked  to  see  so  proper 
a  youth.  You  show  the  blood  of  the  De  Moulins  plainly, 
Philip.  I  suppose  you  get  your  height  and  your  strength  from 
your  English  father?" 

"  They  are  big  men  these  English,  Emilie,  and  his  father  is 
big  even  among  them.  But,  as  you  say,  save  in  size  Philip 
takes  after  our  side  rather  than  his  father's;  and  of  course  he 
has  mixed  so  much  with  our  colony  at  Canterbury,  that  in 
spite  of  his  being  English  bred  we  have  preserved  in  him 
something  of  the  French  manner,  and  I  think  his  heart  is  fairly 
divided  between  the  two  countries." 

"Let  us  go  in,"  the  countess  said;   "you  need  rest  and 


IN   A    FRENCH    CHATEAU  47 

refreshment  after  your  journey,  and  I  long  to  have  a  quiet 
talk  with  you.  Francois,  do  you  take  charge  of  your  cousin. 
I  have  told  the  serving-men  to  let  you  have  a  meal  in  your 
own  apartments,  and  then  you  can  show  him  over  the  chateau 
and  the  stables." 

Francois  and  Philip  bowed  to  the  two  ladies  and  then  went 
off  together. 

"That  is  good,"  the  young  count  said,  laying  his  hand  on 
Philip's  shoulder;  "now  we  shall  get  to  know  each  other. 
You  will  not  be  angry,  I  hope,  when  I  tell  you  that  though  I 
have  looked  forward  to  seeing  my  aunt  and  you,  I  have  yet 
been  a  little  anxious  in  my  mind.  I  do  not  know  why,  but  I 
have  always  pictured  the  English  as  somewhat  rough  and 
uncouth — as  doughty  fighters,  for  so  they  have  shown  them- 
selves to  our  cost,  but  as  somewhat  deficient  in  the  graces  of 
manner,  and  when  I  heard  that  my  aunt  was  bringing  you  over 
to  leave  you  for  a  time  with  us,  since  you  longed  to  fight  in 
the  good  cause,  I  have  thought — pray,  do  not  be  angry  with 
me,  for  I  feel  ashamed  of  myself  now — "  and  he  hesitated. 

"  That  I  should  be  a  rough  cub,  whom  you  would  be  some- 
what ashamed  of  introducing  to  your  friends  as  your  cousin," 
Philip  laughed.  "I  am  not  surprised;  English  boys  have 
ideas  just  as  erroneous  about  the  French,  and  it  was  a  perpet- 
ual wonder  to  my  school-fellows  that,  being  half  French,  I 
was  yet  as  strong  and  as  tough  as  they  were.  Doubtless  I 
should  have  been  somewhat  different  had  I  not  lived  so  much 
with  my  uncle  and  aunt  and  the  Huguenot  community  at  Can- 
terbury. Monsieur  Vaillant  and  my  aunt  have  always  im- 
pressed upon  me  that  I  belong  to  a  noble  French  family,  and 
might  some  day  come  over  here  to  stay  with  my  relations, 
and  have  taken  much  pains  with  my  deportment  and  manners, 
and  have  so  far  succeeded  that  I  am  always  called  'Frenchy ' 
among  my  English  companions,  though  in  their  own  games 
and  sports  I  could  hold  my  own  with  any  of  them." 

"And  can  you  ride,  Philip?  " 

"  I  can  sit  on  any  horse,  but  I  have  had  no  opportunity  of 
learning  the  menage.'" 

"That  matters  little  after  all,"  Francois  said,  "though  it  is 
an  advantage  to  be  able  to  manage  your  horse  with  a  touch  of 


48  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

the  heel  or  the  slightest  pressure  of  the  rein,  and  to  make 
him  wheel  and  turn  at  will,  while  leaving  both  arms  free  to 
use  your  weapons.  You  have  learned  to  fence?" 

"Yes;  there  were  some  good  masters  among  the  colony, 
and  many  a  lesson  have  I  had  from  old  soldiers  passing 
through,  who  paid  for  a  week's  hospitality  by  putting  me 
up  to  a  few  tricks  with  the  sword." 

"I  thought  you  could  fence,"  Francois  said.  "You  would 
hardly  have  that  figure  and  carriage  unless  you  had  practised 
with  the  sword.  And  you  dance,  I  suppose;  many  of  our 
religion  regard  such  amusement  as  frivolous  if  not  sinful,  but 
my  mother,  although  as  staunch  a  Huguenot  as  breathes,  insists 
upon  my  learning  it,  not  as  an  amusement  but  as  an  exercise. 
There  was  no  reason,  she  said,  why  the  Catholics  should 
monopolize  all  the  graces." 

"  Yes,  I  learned  to  dance,  and  for  the  same  reason.  I  think 
my  uncle  rather  scandalized  the  people  of  our  religion  in 
Canterbury.  He  maintained  that  it  was  necessary  as  part  of 
the  education  of  a  gentleman,  and  that  in  the  English  Protes- 
tant court  dancing  was  as  highly  thought  of  as  in  that  of 
France,  the  queen  herself  being  noted  for  her  dancing,  and 
none  can  throw  doubts  upon  her  Protestantism.  My  mother 
and  aunt  were  both  against  it,  but  as  my  father  supported  my 
uncle  he  had  his  own  way." 

"Well,  I  see,  Philip,  that  we  shall  be  good  comrades. 
There  are  many  among  us  younger  Huguenots  who,  though 
as  staunch  in  the  religion  as  our  fathers,  and  as  ready  to  fight 
and  die  for  it  if  need  be,  yet  do  not  see  that  it  is  needful  to 
go  about  always  with  grave  faces,  and  to  be  cut  off  from  all 
innocent  amusements.  It  is  our  natural  disposition  to  be 
gay,  and  I  see  not  why,  because  we  hold  the  Mass  in  detesta- 
tion, and  have  revolted  against  the  authority  of  the  Pope  and 
the  abuses  of  the  church,  we  should  go  through  life  as  if  we 
were  attending  a  perpetual  funeral.  Unless  I  am  mistaken 
such  is  your  disposition  also,  for  although  your  face  is  grave 
your  eyes  laugh." 

"  I  have  been  taught  to  bear  myself  gravely  in  the  presence 
of  my  elders,"  Philip  replied  with  a  smile;  "and  truly  at 
Canterbury  the  French  colony  was  a  grave  one,  being  strangers 


IN  A   FRENCH   CHATEAU  49 

in  a  strange  land;  but  among  my  English  friends  I  think  I 
was  as  much  disposed  for  a  bit  of  fun  or  mischief  as  any  of 
them." 

"But  I  thought  the  English  were  a  grave  race." 

"  I  think  not,  Francois.  We  call  England '  Merry  England. ' 
I  think  we  are  an  earnest  people,  but  not  a  grave  one.  Eng- 
lish boys  play  with  all  their  might.  The  French  boys  of  the 
colony  never  used  to  join  in  our  sports,  regarding  them  as 
rude  and  violent  beyond  all  reason;  but  it  is  all  in  good- 
humour,  and  it  is  rare  indeed  for  anyone  to  lose  his  temper, 
however  rough  the  play  and  hard  the  knocks.  Then  they  are 
fond  of  dancing  and  singing,  save  among  the  strictest  sects, 
and  the  court  is  as  gay  as  any  in  Europe.  I  do  not  think  that 
the  English  can  be  called  a  grave  people." 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  that  it  is  so,  Philip,  especially  that  you 
yourself  are  not  grave.  Now,  as  we  have  finished  our  meal, 
let  us  visit  the  stables.  I  have  a  horse  already  set  aside  for 
you,  but  I  saw  as  we  rode  hither  that  you  are  already  excel- 
lently mounted;  still  Victor,  that  is  his  name,  shall  be  at 
your  disposal.  A  second  horse  is  always  useful,  for  shot  and 
arrows  no  more  spare  a  horse  than  his  rider." 

The  stables  were  large  and  well  ordered,  for  during  the  past 
two  months  there  had  been  large  additions  made  by  the  coun- 
tess in  view  of  the  expected  troubles. 

"This  is  my  charger;  I  call  him  Rollo.  He  was  bred  on 
the  estate,  and  when  I  am  upon  him  I  feel  that  the  king  is 
not  better  mounted." 

"He  is  a  splendid  animal  indeed,"  Philip  said,  as  Rollo 
tossed  his  head  and  whinnied  with  pleasure  at  his  master's 
approach. 

"He  can  do  anything  but  talk,"  Francois  said  as  he  patted 
him.  "  He  will  lie  down  when  I  tell  him,  will  come  to  my 
whistle,  and  with  the  reins  lying  loose  on  his  neck  will  obey 
my  voice  as  readily  as  he  would  my  hand.  This  is  my  second 
horse,  Pluto;  he  is  the  equal  of  Rollo  in  strength  and  speed, 
but  not  so  docile  and  obedient,  and  he  has  a  temper  of  his 
own." 

"He  looks  it,"  Philip  agreed.  "I  should  keep  well  out  of 
reach  of  his  heels  and  jaws." 


50  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"He  is  quiet  enough  when  I  am  on  his  back,"  Francois 
laughed ;  "  but  I  own  that  he  is  the  terror  of  the  stable-boys. 
This  is  Victor;  he  is  not  quite  as  handsome  as  Rollo,  but  he 
has  speed  and  courage  and  good  manners." 

"He  is  a  beautiful  creature,"  Philip  said  enthusiastically. 
"  I  was  very  well  satisfied  with  my  purchase,  but  he  will  not 
show  to  advantage  by  the  side  of  Victor." 

"Ah,  I  see  they  have  put  him  in  the  next  stall,"  Francois 
said.  "He  is  a  fine  animal  too,"  he  went  on  after  examining 
the  horse  closely.  "He  comes  from  Gascony,  I  should  say; 
he  has  signs  of  Spanish  blood." 

"  Yes,  from  Gascony  or  Navarre.  I  was  very  fortunate  in 
getting  him,"  and  he  related  how  the  animal  had  been  left  at 
La  Rochelle. 

"You  got  him  for  less  than  half  his  value,  Philip.  What 
are  you  going  to  call  him?  " 

"I  shall  call  him  Robin;  that  was  the  name  of  my  favourite 
horse  at  home.  I  see  you  have  got  some  stout  animals  in  the 
other  stalls,  though  of  course  they  are  of  a  very  different  quality 
to  your  own." 

"Yes;  many  of  them  are  new  purchases.  We  have  taken 
on  thirty  men-at-arms;  stout  fellows,  old  soldiers  all,  whom 
my  mother  will  send  into  the  field  if  we  come  to  blows.  Be- 
sides these  there  will  be  some  twenty  of  our  tenants.  We 
could  have  raised  the  whole  number  among  them  had  we 
chosen;  for  if  we  called  up  the  full  strength  of  the  estate,  and 
put  all  bound  to  service  in  the  field  in  war  time,  we  could 
turn  out  fully  three  hundred;  but  of  these  well-nigh  a  third 
are  Catholics,  and  could  not  in  any  way  be  relied  on,  nor 
would  it  be  just  to  call  upon  them  to  fight  against  their  co- 
religionists. Again,  it  would  not  do  to  call  out  all  our  Hugue- 
not tenants,  for  this  would  leave  their  wives  and  families  and 
homes  and  property,  to  say  nothing  of  the  chateau,  at  the 
mercy  of  the  Catholics  while  they  were  away.  I  do  not  think 
that  our  Catholic  tenants  would  interfere  with  them,  still  less 
with  the  chateau,  for  our  family  have  ever  been  good  masters, 
and  my  mother  is  loved  by  men  of  both  parties.  Still,  bands 
might  come  from  other  districts  or  from  the  towns  to  pillage 
or  slay  were  the  estate  left  without  fighting  men.  Therefore, 


IN  A   FRENCH   CHATEAU  51 

we  have  taken  these  men-at-arms  into  our  service,  with  twenty 
of  our  own  tenants,  all  young  men  belonging  to  large  families, 
while  the  rest  will  remain  behind  as  a  guard  for  the  estate  and 
chateau;  and  as  in  all  they  could  muster  some  two  hundred 
and  fifty  strong,  and  would  be  joined  by  the  other  Huguenots 
of  the  district,  they  would  not  likely  be  molested,  unless  one 
of  the  Catholic  armies  happened  to  come  in  this  direction. 

"  Directly  I  start  with  the  troop  the  younger  sons  of  the 
tenants  will  be  called  in  to  form  a  garrison  here.  We  have 
five-and-thirty  names  down,  and  there  are  twenty  men  capa- 
ble of  bearing  arms  among  the  household,  many  of  whom  have 
seen  service.  Jacques  Parold,  our  seneschal,  has  been  a 
valiant  soldier  in  his  time,  and  would  make  the  best  of  them, 
and  my  mother  would  assuredly  keep  our  flag  flying  till  the 
last.  I  shall  go  away  in  comfort,  for  unless  the  Guises  march 
this  way  there  is  little  fear  of  trouble  in  our  absence.  We 
are  fortunate  in  this  province;  the  parties  are  pretty  evenly 
divided,  and  have  a  mutual  respect  for  each  other.  In  dis- 
tricts where  we  are  greatly  outnumbered,  it  is  hard  for  fighting 
men  to  march  away  with  the  possibility  that  on  their  return 
they  will  find  their  families  murdered  and  their  homes 
levelled. 

"Now  we  will  take  a  turn  round  the  grounds;  their  beauty 
has  been  sadly  destroyed.  You  see,  before  the  troubles  seven 
years  ago  broke  out,  there  was  a  view  from  the  windows  on 
this  side  of  the  house  over  the  park  and  shrubberies,  but  at 
that  time  my  father  thought  it  necessary  to  provide  against 
sudden  attacks,  and  therefore  before  he  went  away  to  the  war 
he  had  this  wall  with  its  flanking  towers  erected.  All  the 
tenants  came  in  and  helped,  and  it  was  built  in  five  weeks 
time.  It  has,  as  you  see,  made  the  place  safe  from  a  sudden 
attack,  for  on  the  other  three  sides  the  old  defences  remain 
unaltered.  It  was  on  this  side  only  that  my  grandfather  had 
the  house  modernized,  believing  that  the  days  of  civil  war 
were  at  an  end.  You  see,  this  new  wall  forms  a  large  quad- 
rangle. We  call  it  the  countess's  garden,  and  my  mother  has 
done  her  best  by  planting  it  with  shrubs  and  fast-growing 
trees  to  make  up  for  the  loss  of  the  view  she  formerly  had 
from  the  windows. 


52  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"Along  one  side  you  see  there  are  storehouses,  which  are 
screened  from  view  by  that  bank  of  turf;  they  are  all  full  now 
of  grain.  There  is  a  gate,  as  you  see,  opposite.  In  case  of 
trouble  cattle  will  be  driven  in  there  and  the  garden  turned 
into  a  stock-yard,  so  that  there  is  no  fear  of  our  being  starved 
out." 

"  Fifty-five  men  are  a  small  garrison  for  so  large  a  place, 
Francois." 

"Yes,  but  that  is  only  against  a  sudden  surprise.  In  case 
of  alarm  the  Protestant  tenants  would  all  come  in  with  their 
wives  and  families,  and  the  best  of  their  horses  and  cattle, 
and  then  there  will  be  force  enough  to  defend  the  place  against 
anything  short  of  a  siege  by  an  army.  You  see  there  is  a 
moat  runs  all  round;  it  is  full  now  on  three  sides,  and  there 
is  a  little  stream  runs  down  from  behind,  which  would  fill  the 
fourth  side  in  a  few  hours.  To-morrow  we  will  take  a  ride 
through  the  park  which  lies  beyond  that  wall." 

Entering  the  house  they  passed  through  several  stately 
apartments,  and  then  entered  a  large  hall  completely  hung 
with  arms  and  armour. 

"This  is  the  grand  hall,  and  you  see  it  serves  also  the  pur- 
pose of  a  salle  d'armes.  Here  we  have  arms  and  armour  for 
a  hundred  men,  for  although  all  the  tenants  are  bound  by  the 
terms  of  their  holding  to  appear  when  called  upon  fully  armed 
and  accoutred,  each  with  so  many  men  according  to  the  size 
of  his  farm,  there  may  well  be  deficiencies,  especially  as, 
until  the  religious  troubles  began,  it  was  a  great  number  of 
years  since  they  had  been  called  upon  to  take  the  field.  For 
the  last  eight  years,  however,  they  have  been  trained  and 
drilled;  fifty  at  a  time  coming  up  once  a  week.  That  began 
two  years  before  the  last  war,  as  my  father  always  held  that 
it  was  absurd  to  take  a  number  of  men  wholly  unaccustomed 
to  the  use  of  arms  into  the  field.  Agincourt  taught  that  lesson 
to  our  nobles,  though  it  has  been  forgotten  by  most  of  them. 
We  have  two  officers  accustomed  to  drill  and  marshal  men, 
and  these  act  as  teachers  here  in  the  hall.  The  footmen  prac- 
tise with  pike  and  sword.  They  are  exercised  with  arquebus 
and  cross-bow  in  the  park,  and  the  mounted  men  are  taught 
to  manoeuvre  and  charge,  so  that  in  case  of  need  we  can  show 


PHILIP   AND    FRANCOIS    IN   THE   ARMOURY. 


IN   A    FRENCH    CHATEAU  53 

a  good  face  against  any  body  of  troops  of  equal  numbers.  It 
is  here  I  practise  with  ray  maitre  d'armes,  and  with  Montpace 
and  Bourdon,  our  two  officers.  Ah  !  here  is  Charles,  my  maitie 
ifarmes.  Charles,  this  is  my  cousin  Philip,  who  will  also  be 
a  pupil  of  yours  while  he  remains  here.  What  do  you  say, 
Philip?  Will  we  try  a  bout  with  blunted  swords  just  now?  " 

"With  pleasure,"  Philip  said. 

The  art  of  fencing  had  not  at  that  time  reached  the  perfec- 
tion it  afterwards  attained.  The  swords  used  were  long  and 
straight,  and  sharpened  at  both  edges,  and  were  used  as  much 
for  cutting  as  thrusting.  In  single  combat  on  foot,  long  dag- 
gers were  generally  held  in  the  left  hand,  and  were  used  for 
the  purpose  both  of  guarding  and  of  striking  at  close  quarters. 

They  put  on  thick  quilted  doublets  and  light  helmets  with 
visors. 

"Do  you  use  a  dagger,  Philip?  " 

"No,  I  have  never  seen  one  used  in  England.  We  are 
taught  to  guard  with  our  swords  as  well  as  to  strike  with 
them." 

"Monsieur  has  learned  from  English  teachers?  "  the  maitre 
d'armes  asked. 

"I  have  had  English  teachers  as  well  as  French,"  Philip 
said.  "  We  all  learn  the  use  of  the  sword  in  England,  but  my 
uncle,  Monsieur  Vaillant,  has  taken  great  pains  in  having  me 
taught  also  by  such  French  professors  of  arms  as  lived  in 
Canterbury,  or  happened  to  pass  through  it;  but  I  own  that  I 
prefer  the  English  style  of  fighting.  We  generally  stand  up- 
right to  our  work,  equally  poised  on  the  two  feet  for  advance 
or  retreat,  while  you  lean  with  the  body  far  forward  and  the 
arm  outstretched,  which  seems  to  me  to  cripple  the  move- 
ments." 

"Yes,  but  it  puts  the  body  out  of  harm's  way,"  Francois 
said. 

"It  is  the  arm's  business  to  guard  the  body,  Francois,  and 
it  is  impossible  to  strike  a  downright  blow  when  leaning  so 
far  forward." 

"We  strike  but  little  now-a-days  in  single  combat,"  the 
maitre  Cannes  said.  "The  point  is  more  effective." 

" That  is  doubtless  so,  Maitre  Charles,"  Philip  agreed;  "but 


54  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

I  have  not  learned  fencing  for  the  sake  of  righting  duels,  but 
to  be  able  to  take  my  part  on  a  field  of  battle.  The  Span- 
iards are  said  to  be  masters  of  the  straight  sword,  and  yet  they 
have  been  roughly  used  in  the  western  seas  by  our  sailors, 
who,  methinks,  always  use  the  edge." 

The  two  now  took  up  their  position  facing  each  other. 
Their  attitude  was  strikingly  different.  Francois  stood  on 
bent  knees  leaning  far  forward,  while  Philip  stood  erect  with 
his  knees  but  slightly  bent,  ready  to  spring  either  forwards  or 
backwards,  with  his  arm  but  half  extended.  For  a  time  both 
fought  cautiously.  Francois  had  been  well  taught,  having 
had  the  benefit  whenever  he  was  in  Paris  of  the  best  masters 
there.  He  was  extremely  active,  and  as  they  warmed  to  their 
work  Philip  had  difficulty  in  standing  his  ground  against  his 
impetuous  rushes.  Some  minutes  passed  without  either  of 
them  succeeding  in  touching  the  other.  At  length  the  maitre 
fTarmes  called  upon  them  to  lower  their  swords. 

"That  is  enough,"  he  said,  "you  are  equally  matched.  I 
congratulate  you,  Monsieur  Philip.  You  have  been  well 
taught;  and  indeed  there  are  not  many  youths  of  his  age  who 
could  hold  their  own  with  my  pupil.  Take  off  your  helmets, 
enough  has  been  done  for  one  day." 

"Peste,  Philip!  "  Francois  said  as  he  removed  his  helmet. 
"  I  was  not  wrong  when  I  said  that  from  your  figure  I  was  sure 
that  you  had  learned  fencing.  Maitre  Charles  interfered  on 
my  behalf,  and  to  save  me  the  mortification  of  defeat.  I  had 
nearly  shot  my  bolt  and  you  had  scarcely  begun.  I  own  my- 
self a  convert.  Your  attitude  is  better  than  ours;  that  is, 
when  the  hand  is  skilful  enough  to  defend  the  body.  The 
fatigue  of  holding  the  arm  extended  as  I  do  is  much  greater 
than  it  is  as  you  stand,  and  in  the  long  run  you  must  get  the 
better  of  anyone  who  is  not  sufficiently  skilful  to  slay  you  be- 
fore his  arm  becomes  fatigued.  What  do  you  think,  Maitre 
Charles  ?  My  cousin  is  two  years  younger  than  I  am,  and  yet 
his  wrist  and  arm  are  stronger  than  mine,  as  I  could  feel  every 
time  he  put  aside  my  attacks." 

" Is  that  so?  "  the  maitre  (Parities  said  in  surprise.  " I  had 
taken  him  for  your  senior.  He  will  be  a  famous  man-at-arms 
when  he  attains  his  full  age.  His  defence  is  wonderfully 


IN  A   FRENCH   CHATEAU  55 

strong,  and  although  I  do  not  admit  that  he  is  superior  to  you 
with  the  point,  he  would  be  a  formidable  opponent  to  any  of 
our  best  swordsmen  in  a  melee.  If,  as  he  says,  he  is  more 
accustomed  to  use  the  edge  than  the  point,  I  will  myself  try 
him  to-morrow  if  he  will  permit  me.  I  have  always  under- 
stood that  the  English  are  more  used  to  strike  than  to  thrust, 
and  although  in  the  duel  the  edge  has  little  chance  against  the 
point,  I  own  that  it  is  altogether  different  in  a  melee  on  horse- 
back, especially  as  the  point  cannot  penetrate  armour,  while 
a  stout  blow,  well  delivered  with  a  strong  arm,  can  break  it 
in.  Are  you  skilled  in  the  exercises  of  the  ring,  Monsieur 
Philip?" 

"Not  at  all,  I  have  had  no  practise  whatever  in  them. 
Except  in  some  of  the  great  houses  the  tourney  has  gone  quite 
out  of  fashion  in  England,  and  though  I  can  ride  a  horse 
across  country  I  know  nothing  whatever  of  knightly  exercises. 
My  father  is  but  a  small  proprietor,  and  up  to  the  time  I  left 
England  I  have  been  but  a  school-boy." 

"  If  all  your  school-boys  understand  the  use  of  their  arms 
as  you  do,"  Maitre  Charles  said  courteously,  "  it  is  no  wonder 
that  the  English  are  terrible  fighters." 

"I  do  not  say  that,"  Philip  said  smiling.  "I  have  had  the 
advantage  of  the  best  teaching,  both  English  and  French,  to 
be  had  at  Canterbury,  and  it  would  be  a  shame  for  me  indeed 
if  I  had  not  learnt  to  defend  myself." 

A  servant  now  entered  and  said  that  the  countess  desired 
their  presence,  and  they  at  once  went  to  the  apartment  where 
the  sisters  were  talking. 

"What  do  you  think,  mother?"  Francois  said.  "This 
cousin  of  mine,  whom  I  had  intended  to  patronize,  turns  out 
to  be  already  a  better  swordsman  than  I  am." 

"Not  better,  madame,"  Philip  said  hastily.  "We  were  a 
fair  match,  neither  having  touched  the  other." 

"  Philip  is  too  modest,  mother, "  Francois  laughed.  "  Maitre 
Charles  stopped  us  in  time  to  save  me  from  defeat.  Why,  he 
has  a  wrist  like  iron,  this  cousin  of  mine." 

"We  have  done  our  best  to  have  him  well  taught,"  Madame 
Vaillant  said.  "  There  were  some  good  swordsmen  among  our 
Huguenot  friends,  and  he  has  also  had  the  best  English 


56  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

teachers  we  could  get  for  him.  My  husband  always  wished 
particularly  that  if  he  ever  came  over  to  visit  our  friends  here 
he  should  not  be  deficient  in  such  matters." 

"I  feel  a  little  crestfallen,"  the  countess  said.  "I  have 
been  rather  proud  of  Francois'  skill  as  a  swordsman,  and  I 
own  that  it  is  a  little  mortifying  to  find  that  Philip,  who  is 
two  years  younger,  is  already  his  match.  Still  I  am  glad  that 
it  is  so,  for  if  they  ride  together  into  battle  I  should  wish  that 
Philip  should  do  honour  to  our  race.  Now,  Philip,  I  have 
been  hearing  all  about  your  mother's  life,  as  well  as  that  of 
your  uncle  and  aunt.  Now  let  us  hear  about  your  own,  which 
must  needs  differ  widely  from  that  to  which  Francois  has  been 
accustomed.  Your  aunt  says  that  your  English  schools  differ 
altogether  from  ours.  With  us  our  sons  are  generally  brought 
up  at  home,  and  are  instructed  by  the  chaplain  in  Huguenot 
families  or  by  the  priest  in  Catholic  families;  or  else  they  go 
to  religious  seminaries,  where  they  are  taught  what  is  necessary 
of  books  and  Latin,  being  under  strict  supervision,  and  learn- 
ing all  other  matters  such  as  the  use  of  arms  after  leaving 
school,  or  when  at  home  with  their  families." 

Philip  gave  an  account  of  his  school  life,  and  its  rough 
games  and  sports. 

"But  is  it  possible,  Philip,"  the  countess  said  in  tones  of 
horror,  "that  you  used  to  wrestle  and  to  fight?  Fight  with 
your  arms  and  fists  against  rough  boys,  the  sons  of  all  sorts  of 
common  people?" 

"  Certainly  I  did,  aunt,  and  it  did  me  a  great  deal  of  good, 
and  no  harm  so  far  as  I  know.  All  these  rough  sports 
strengthen  the  frame  and  give  quickness  and  vigour,  just  the 
same  as  exercises  with  the  sword  do.  I  should  never  have 
been  so  tall  and  strong  as  I  am  now,  if,  instead  of  going  to  an 
English  school,  I  had  been  either,  as  you  say,  educated  at 
home  by  a  chaplain  or  sent  to  be  taught  and  looked  after  by 
priests.  My  mother  did  not  like  it  at  first,  but  she  came  to 
see  that  it  was  good  for  me.  Besides,  there  is  not  the  same 
difference  between  classes  in  England  as  there  is  in  France; 
there  is  more  independence  in  the  lower  and  middle  classes, 
and  less  haughtiness  and  pride  in  the  upper,  and  I  think  that 
it  is  better  so." 


EST  A   FRENCH   CHATEAU  57 

"It  is  the  English  custom,  Emilie,"  her  sister  said;  "and  I 
can  assure  you  that  my  husband  and  I  have  got  very  English 
in  some  things.  We  do  not  love  our  country  less,  but  we  see 
that  in  many  respects  the  English  ways  are  better  than  ours; 
and  we  admire  the  independence  of  the  people,  every  man 
respecting  himself,  though  giving  honour,  but  not  lavishly,  to 
those  higher  placed." 

The  countess  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "We  will  not  argue, 
Marie.  At  any  rate  whatever  the  process,  it  has  succeeded 
well  with  Philip." 

The  days  passed  quietly  at  the  chateau.  Before  breakfast 
Philip  spent  an  hour  on  horseback,  learning  to  manage  his 
horse  by  the  pressure  of  knee  „  or  hand.  This  was  the  more 
easy,  as  both  his  horses  had  been  thoroughly  trained  in  the 
menage,  and  under  the  instruction  of  Captain  Montpace,  who 
had  been  Francois'  teacher,  he  made  rapid  progress. 

"  It  is  much  easier  to  teach  the  man  than  the  horse,"  his 
instructor  said,  "  although  a  horse  learns  readily  enough  when 
its  rider  is  a  master  of  the  art;  but  with  horse  and  rider  alike 
ignorant  it  is  a  long  business  to  get  them  to  work  together  as 
if  they  were  one,  which  is  what  should  be.  As  both  your  horses 
know  their  work,  they  obey  your  motions,  however  slight,  and 
you  will  soon  be  able  to  pass  muster  on  their  backs;  but  it 
would  take  months  of  patient  teaching  for  you  so  to  acquire  the 
art  of  horsemanship  as  to  be  able  to  train  an  animal  yourself." 

After  the  lesson  was  over  Francois  and  Philip  would  tilt  at 
rings  and  go  through  other  exercises  in  the  courtyard.  Break- 
fast over  they  went  hawking  or  hunting.  Of  the  former  sport 
Philip  was  entirely  ignorant,  and  was  surprised  to  learn  how 
highly  a  knowledge  of  it  was  prized  in  France,  and  how 
necessary  it  was  considered  as  part  of  the  education  of  a  gen- 
tleman. Upon  the  other  hand  his  shooting  with  the  bow  and 
arrow  astonished  Francois;  for  the  bow  had  never  been  a 
French  weapon,  and  the  cross-bow  was  fast  giving  way  to  the 
arquebus,  but  few  gentlemen  troubled  themselves  to  learn  the 
use  of  either  one  or  the  other.  The  pistol,  however,  was 
becoming  a  recognized  portion  of  the  outfit  of  a  cavalier  in 
the  field,  and  following  Francois'  advice  Philip  practised  with 
one  steadily  until  he  became  a  fair  shot. 


58  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"They  are  cowardly  weapons,"  Francois  said,  "but  for  all 
that  they  are  useful  in  battle.  When  you  are  surrounded  by 
three  or  four  pikemen  thrusting  at  you,  it  is  a  good  thing 
to  be  able  to  disembarrass  yourself  of  one  or  two  of  them. 
Besides,  these  German  horsemen,  of  whom  the  Guises  employ 
so  many,  all  carry  firearms,  and  the  contest  would  be  too 
uneven  if  we  were  armed  only  with  the  sword;  though  for  my 
part  I  wish  that  all  the  governments  of  Europe  would  agree 
to  do  away  with  firearms  of  every  description.  They  place 
the  meanest  footman  upon  the  level  of  the  bravest  knight,  and 
in  the  end  will,  it  seems  to  me,  reduce  armies  to  the  level  of 
machines." 

In  the  afternoons  there  were  generally  gatherings  of  Hugue- 
not gentry,  who  came  to  discuss  the  situation,  to  exchange 
news,  or  to  listen  to  the  last  rumours  from  Paris.  No  good 
had  arisen  from  the  Conference  of  Bayonne,  and  one  by  one 
the  privileges  of  the  Huguenots  were  being  diminished.  The 
uprising  of  the  Protestants  of  Holland  was  watched  with  the 
greatest  interest  by  the  Huguenots  of  France.  It  was  known 
that  several  of  the  most  influential  Huguenot  nobles  had  met 
at  Valery  and  at  Chatillon,  to  discuss  with  the  Prince  of  Conde" 
and  Admiral  Coligny  the  question  of  again  taking  up  arms  in 
defence  of  their  liberties.  It  was  rumoured  that  the  opinion 
of  the  majority  was  that  the  Huguenot  standard  should  be  again 
unfurled,  and  that  this  time  there  should  be  no  laying  down 
of  their  arms  until  freedom  of  worship  was  guaranteed  to  all; 
but  that  the  admiral  had  used  all  his  powers  to  persuade  them 
that  the  time  had  not  yet  come,  and  that  it  was  better  to  bear 
trials  and  persecutions  for  a  time  in  order  that  the  world  might 
see  they  had  not  appealed  to  arms  until  driven  to  it  by  the 
failure  of  all  other  hope  of  redress  of  their  grievances. 

The  elder  men  among  the  visitors  at  the  chateau  were  of 
the  admiral's  opinion;  the  younger  chafed  at  the  delay.  The 
position  had  indeed  become  intolerable.  Protestant  worship 
was  absolutely  forbidden,  except  in  a  few  specified  buildings 
near  some  of  the  large  towns,  and  all  Protestants  save  those 
dwelling  in  these  localities  were  forced  to  meet  secretly,  and 
at  the  risk  of  their  lives,  for  the  purpose  of  worship.  Those 
caught  transgressing  the  law  were  thrown  into  prison,  sub- 


IN  A  FRENCH   CHATEAU  59 

jected  to  crushing  fines,  and  even  punished  with  torture  and 
death.  "  Better  a  thousand  times  to  die  with  swords  in  our 
hands  in  the  open  field  than  thus  tamely  to  see  our  brethren 
ill-treated  and  persecuted ! "  was  the  cry  of  the  young  men, 
and  Philip,  who  from  daily  hearing  tales  of  persecution  and 
cruelty  had  become  more  and  more  zealous  in  the  Huguenot 
cause,  fully  shared  their  feeling. 

In  the  presence  of  the  elders,  however,  the  more  ardent 
spirits  were  silent.  At  all  times  grave  and  sober  in  manner 
and  word,  the  knowledge  that  a  desperate  struggle  could  not 
long  be  deferred,  and  the  ever-increasing  encroachments  of 
the  Catholics,  added  to  the^  gravity  of  their  demeanour. 
Sometimes  those  present  broke  up  into  groups,  talking  in  an 
undertone.  Sometimes  the  gathering  took  the  form  of  a  gen- 
eral council.  Occasionally  some  fugitive  minister  or  a  noble 
from  some  district  where  the  persecution  was  particularly  fierce 
would  be  present,  and  their  narratives  would  be  listened  to 
with  stern  faces  by  the  elders,  and  with  passionate  indignation 
by  the  younger  men.  In  spite  of  the  decrees  the  countess 
still  retained  her  chaplain,  and  before  the  meetings  broke  up 
prayers  were  offered  by  him  for  their  persecuted  brethren,  and 
for  a  speedy  deliverance  of  those  of  the  reformed  religion  from 
the  cruel  disabilities  under  which  they  laboured. 

Services  were  held  night  and  morning  in  the  chateau. 
These  were  attended  not  only  by  all  the  residents,  but  by 
many  of  the  farmers  and  their  families.  The  countess  had 
already  received  several  warnings  from  the  Catholic  authori- 
ties of  the  province ;  but  to  these  she  paid  no  attention,  and 
there  were  no  forces  available  to  enforce  the  decree  in  her  case, 
as  it  would  require  nothing  short  of  an  army  to  overcome  the 
opposition  that  might  be  expected,  joined  as  she  would  be  by 
the  other  Huguenot  gentry  of  the  district. 


CHAPTER  IV 

AN   EXPERIMENT 

MARIE  VAILLANT,  after  remaining  six  weeks  at  the 
chateau,  returned  to  England,  and  Philip  with  a  party 
of  twelve  men  escorted  her  to  La  Rochelle.  Her  visit  was 
cut  short  somewhat  at  the  end  by  the  imminence  of  the  out- 
break of  hostilities,  in  which  case  she  might  have  found  a 
difficulty  in  traversing  the  country.  Moreover,  La  Rochelle 
would  probably  be  besieged  soon  after  the  war  began;  for 
being  both  an  important  town  and  port  the  Catholics  would 
be  anxious  to  obtain  possession  of  it,  and  so  cut  off  the 
Huguenots  from  escape  to  England,  besides  rendering  it  diffi- 
cult for  Elizabeth  to  send  a  force  to  their  assistance. 

"It  has  been  a  pleasant  time,"  the  countess  said  on  the 
morning  of  her  departure,  "and  your  presence  has  taken  me 
back  five-and-twenty  years,  Marie.  I  hope  that  when  these 
troubles  are  past  you  will  again  come  over  and  spend  a  hap- 
pier time  with  me.  I  was  going  to  say  that  I  will  look  well 
after  Philip,  but  that  I  cannot  do.  He  has  cast  his  lot  in  with 
us  and  must  share  our  perils.  I  am  greatly  pleased  with  him, 
and  I  am  glad  that  Francois  will  have  him  as  a  companion  in 
arms.  Francois  is  somewhat  impulsive  and  liable  to  be  car- 
ried away  by  his  ardour,  and  Philip,  although  the  younger,  is, 
it  seems  to  me,  the  more  thoughtful  of  the  two.  He  is  one 
I  feel  I  can  have  confidence  in.  He  is  grave,  yet  merry; 
light-hearted  in  a  way,  and  yet,  I  think,  prudent  and  cautious. 
It  seems  strange,  but  I  shall  part  with  Francois  with  the  more 
comfort  in  the  thought  that  he  has  Philip  with  him.  Don't 


AN  EXPERIMENT  61 

come  back  more  English  than  you  are  now,  Marie,  for  truly 
you  seem  to  me  to  have  fallen  in  love  with  the  ways  of  these 
islanders." 

"I  will  try  not  to,  Emilie;  but  I  should  not  like  the  cus- 
toms did  it  not  seem  to  me  that  they  are  better  than  my  own. 
In  England  Protestants  and  Catholics  live  side  by  side  in 
friendship,  and  there  is  no  persecution  of  anyone  for  his  re- 
ligion; the  Catholics  who  have  suffered  during  the  present 
reign  have  done  so  not  because  they  are  Catholics,  but  because 
they  plotted  against  the  queen.  Would  that  in  France  men 
would  agree  to  worship,  each  in  his  own  way,  without  rancour 
or  animosity." 

"Tell  Lucie  that  I  am  very  sorry  she  did  not  come  over 
with  you  and  Philip,  and  that  it  is  only  because  you  tell  me 
how  occupied  she  is  that  I  am  not  furiously  angry  with  her. 
Tell  her,  too,"  she  went  on  earnestly,  "that  I  feel  she  is  one 
of  us,  still  a  Huguenot,  a  Frenchwoman,  and  one  of  our  race, 
or  she  would  never  have  allowed  her  only  son  to  come  over  to 
risk  his  life  in  our  cause.  I  consider  her  a  heroine,  Marie. 
It  is  all  very  well  for  me  whose  religion  is  endangered,  whose 
friends  are  in  peril,  whose  people  are  persecuted,  to  throw 
myself  into  the  strife  and  to  send  Francois  into  the  battle;  but 
with  her,  working  there  with  an  invalid  husband,  and  her 
heart,  as  it  must  be,  wrapped  up  in  her  boy,  it  is  splendid  to 
let  him  come  out  here  to  fight  side  by  side  with  us  for  the 
faith.  Whose  idea  was  it  first?  " 

"  My  husband's.  Gaspard  regards  Philip  almost  in  the  light 
of  a  son.  He  is  a  rich  man  now,  as  I  told  you,  and  Philip 
will  become  his  heir.  Though  he  has  no  desire  that  he  should 
settle  in  France,  he  wished  him  to  take  his  place  in  our  family 
here,  to  show  himself  worthy  of  his  race,  to  become  a  brave 
soldier,  to  win  credit  and  honour,  and  to  take  his  place  per- 
haps some  day  in  the  front  rank  of  the  gentry  of  Kent." 

"They  were  worldly  motives,  Marie,  and  our  ministers 
would  denounce  them  as  sinful;  but  I  cannot  do  so.  I  am  a 
Huguenot,  but  I  am  a  countess  of  France,  a  member  of  one 
noble  tamily  and  married  into  another;  and  though,  I  believe, 
as  staunch  a  Huguenot  and  as  ready  to  lay  down  my  life  for 
our  religion  as  any  man  or  woman  in  France,  yet  I  cannot  give 


62  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

up  all  the  traditions  of  my  rank,  and  hold  that  fame  and 
honour  and  reputation  and  courage  are  mere  snares.  But 
such  were  not  Lucie's  feelings  in  letting  him  go,  I  will  be 
bound,  nor  yours." 

"Mine  partly,"  Marie  said.  "I  am  the  wife  now  of  a 
trader,  though  one  honoured  in  his  class,  but  have  still  a  little 
of  your  feelings,  Emilie,  and  remember  that  the  blood  of  the 
De  Moulins  runs  in  Philip's  veins,  and  hope  that  he  will  do 
credit  to  it.  I  don't  think  that  Lucie  has  any  such  feelings. 
She  is  wrapped  up  in  duty — first  her  duty  to  God,  secondly  her 
duty  to  her  crippled  husband,  whom  she  adores;  and  I  think 
she  regarded  the  desire  of  Philip  to  come  out  to  fight  in  the 
Huguenot  ranks  as  a  call  that  she  ought  not  to  oppose.  I 
know  she  was  heart-broken  at  parting  with  him,  and  yet  she 
never  showed  it.  Lucie  is  a  noble  character.  Everyone  who 
knows  her  loves  her.  I  believe  the  very  farm  labourers  would 
give  their  lives  for  her,  and  a  more  utterly  unselfish  creature 
never  lived." 

"Well,  she  must  take  a  holiday  and  come  over  with  you 
next  time  you  come,  Marie.  I  hope  that  these  troubles  may 
soon  be  over,  though  that  is  a  thing  one  cannot  foretell." 

After  seeing  his  aunt  safely  on  board  a  ship  at  La  Rochelle 
Philip  prepared  to  return  to  the  chateau.  He  and  his  aunt 
had  stayed  two  nights  at  the  house  of  Maitre  Bertram,  and  on 
his  returning  there  the  latter  asked,  "  Have  you  yet  found  a 
suitable  servant,  Monsieur  Philip?" 

"No;  my  cousin  has  been  inquiring  among  the  tenantry, 
but  the  young  men  are  all  bent  on  fighting,  and  indeed  there 
are  none  of  them  who  would  make  the  sort  of  servant  one 
wants  in  a  campaign — a  man  who  can  not  only  groom  horses 
and  clean  arms,  but  who  knows  something  of  war,  can  forage 
for  provisions,  cook,  wait  at  table,  and  has  intelligence.  One 
wants  an  old  soldier;  one  who  has  served  in  the  same  capacity 
if  possible." 

"  I  only  asked  because  I  have  had  a  man  pestering  me  to 
speak  to  you  about  him.  He  happened  to  see  you  ride  off 
when  you  were  here  last,  and  apparently  became  impressed 
with  the  idea  that  you  would  be  a  good  master.  He  is  a 
cousin  of  one  of  my  men,  and  heard  I  suppose  from  him  that 


AN   EXPERIMENT  63 

you  were  likely  to  return.  He  has  been  to  me  three  or  four 
times.  I  have  told  him  again  and  again  that  he  was  not  the 
sort  of  man  I  could  recommend,  but  he  persisted  in  begging 
me  to  let  him  see  you  himself." 

"What  sort  of  a  fellow  is  he? " 

"Well,  to  tell  you  the  truth  he  is  a  sort  of  ne'er-do-well," 
the  merchant  laughed.  "  I  grant  that  he  has  not  had  much 
chance.  His  father  died  when  he  was  a  child,  and  his  mother 
soon  married  again.  There  is  no  doubt  that  he  was  badly 
treated  at  home,  and  when  he  was  twelve  he  ran  away.  He 
was  taken  back  and  beaten  time  after  time,  but  in  a  few  hours 
he  was  always  off  again,  and  at  last  they  let  him  go  his  own 
way.  There  is  nothing  he  hasn'{  turned  his  hand  to.  First 
he  lived  in  the  woods,  I  fancy,  and  they  say  he  was  the  most 
arrant  young  poacher  in  the  district,  though  he  was  so  cun- 
ning that  he  was  never  caught.  At  last  he  had  to  give  that 
up.  Then  he  fished  for  a  bit,  but  he  couldn't  stick  to  it.  He 
has  been  always  doing  odd  jobs,  turning  his  hand  to  whatever 
turned  up.  He  worked  in  a  shipyard  for  a  bit,  then  I  took 
him  as  a  sort  of  errand-boy  and  porter.  He  didn't  stop  long, 
and  the  next  I  heard  of  him  he  was  servant  at  a  priest's. 
He  has  been  a  dozen  other  things,  and  for  the  last  three  or 
four  months  he  has  been  in  the  stables  where  your  horse  was 
standing,  I  fancy  you  saw  him  there.  Some  people  think  he 
is  half  a  fool,  but  I  don't  agree  with  them;  he  is  as  sharp  as 
a  needle  to  my  mind.  But,  as  I  say,  he  has  never  had  a  fair 
chance.  A  fellow  like  that  without  friends  is  sure  to  get 
roughly  treated." 

"Is  he  a  young  man  of  about  one  or  two  and  twenty?" 
Philip  asked.  "  I  remember  a  fellow  of  about  that  age  brought 
out  the  horse,  and  as  he  seemed  to  me  a  shrewd  fellow,  and 
had  evidently  taken  great  pains  in  grooming  Robin,  I  gave 
him  a  crown.  I  thought  he  needed  it,  for  his  clothes  were 
old  and  tattered,  and  he  looked  as  if  he  hadn't  had  a  hearty 
meal  for  a  week.  Well,  Maitre  Bertram,  can  you  tell  me  if 
among  his  other  occupations  he  has  ever  been  charged  with 
theft?" 

"No,  I  have  never  heard  that  brought  against  him." 

"Why  did  he  leave  you?" 


64  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"  It  was  from  no  complaint  as  to  his  honesty.  Indeed  he 
left  of  his  own  accord  after  a  quarrel  with  one  of  the  men, 
who  was,  as  far  as  I  could  learn,  in  the  wrong.  I  did  not  even 
hear  that  he  had  left  until  a  week  after,  and  it  was  too  late 
then  to  go  thoroughly  into  the  matter.  Boys  are  always 
troublesome,  and  as  everyone  had  warned  me  that  Pierre 
would  turn  out  badly  I  gave  the  matter  but  little  thought  at 
the  time.  Of  course  you  will  not  think  of  taking  the  luckless 
rascal  as  your  servant." 

"  I  don't  know.  I  will  have  a  talk  with  him  anyhow.  A  fel- 
low like  that  would  certainly  be  handy,  but  whether  he  could 
be  relied  upon  to  behave  discreetly  and  soberly  and  not  to 
bring  me  into  discredit  is  a  different  matter.  Is  he  here  now?  " 

"He  is  below.     Shall  I  send  him  up  here  to  you?  " 

"  No,  I  will  go  down  and  see  him  in  the  courtyard.  If  he 
comes  up  here  he  would  be  perhaps  awkward  and  unnatural, 
and  would  not  speak  so  freely  as  he  would  in  the  open  air." 

The  merchant  shook  his  head.  "  If  you  take  the  vagabond, 
remember,  Monsieur  Philip,  that  it  is  altogether  against  my 
advice.  I  would  never  have  spoken  to  you  about  him  if  I 
had  imagined  for  a  moment  that  you  would  think  of  taking 
him.  A  fellow  who  has  never  kept  any  employment  for  two 
months,  how  could  he  be  fit  for  a  post  of  confidence  and  be 
able  to  mix  as  your  body-servant  with  the  households  of 
honourable  families." 

"  But  you  said  yourself,  Maitre  Bertram,  that  he  has  never 
had  a  fair  chance.  Well,  I  will  see  him  anyhow." 

He  descended  into  the  courtyard,  and  could  not  help  smil- 
ing as  his  eye  fell  upon  a  figure  seated  on  the  horse-block. 
He  was  looking  out  through  the  gateway,  and  did  not  at  first 
see  Philip.  The  expression  of  his  face  was  dull  and  almost 
melancholy,  but  as  Philip's  eye  fell  on  him  his  attention  was 
attracted  by  some  passing  object  in  the  street.  His  face  lit 
up  with  amusement,  his  lips  twitched  and  his  eyes  twinkled. 
A  moment  later  and  the  transient  humour  passed,  and  the 
dull,  listless  expression  again  stole  over  his  face. 

"  Pierre !  "  Philip  said  sharply.  The  young  fellow  started 
to  his  feet  as  if  shot  upwards  by  a  spring,  and  as  he  turned 
and  saw  who  had  addressed  him,  took  off  his  cap,  and  bowing 


AN   EXPERIMENT  65 

stood  twisting  it  round  in  his  fingers.  "Monsieur  Bertram 
tells  me  you  want  to  come  with  me  as  a  servant,  Pierre;  but 
when  I  asked  him  about  you  he  does  not  give  you  such  a  char- 
acter as  one  would  naturally  require  in  a  confidential  servant. 
Is  there  anyone  who  will  speak  for  you  ?  " 

"Not  a  soul,"  the  young  man  said  doggedly;  "and  yet, 
monsieur,  I  am  not  a  bad  fellow.  What  can  a  man  do  when 
he  has  not  a  friend  in  the  world?  He  picks  up  a  living  as  he 
can,  but  everybody  looks  at  him  with  suspicion.  There  is  no 
friend  to  take  his  part,  and  so  people  vent  their  ill-humours 
upon  him,  till  the  time  comes  when  he  revolts  at  the  injustice 
and  strikes  back,  and  then  he  has  to  begin  it  all  over  again 
somewhere  else.  And  yet,  sir,  I  know  that  I  could  be  faithful 
and  true  to  anyone  who  would  not  treat  me  like  a  dog.  You 
spoke  kindly  to  me  in  the  stable,  and  gave  me  a  crown;  no 
one  had  ever  given  me  a  crown  before.  But  I  cared  less  for 
that  than  for  the  way  you  spoke.  Then  I  saw  you  start,  and 
you  spoke  pleasantly  to  your  men,  and  I  said  to  myself,  that 
is  the  master  I  would  serve  if  he  would  let  me.  Try  me,  sir, 
and  if  you  do  not  find  me  faithful,  honest,  and  true  to  you, 
tell  your  men  to  string  me  up  to  a  bough.  I  do  not  drink, 
and  have  been  in  so  many  services  that,  ragged  as  you  see  me, 
I  can  yet  behave  so  as  not  to  do  discredit  to  you." 

Philip  hesitated.  There  was  no  mistaking  the  earnestness 
with  which  the  youth  spoke. 

"Are  you  a  Catholic  or  a  Huguenot?  "  he  asked. 

"I  know  nothing  of  the  difference  between  them,"  Pierre 
replied.  "How  should  I?  No  one  has  ever  troubled  about 
me  one  way  or  the  other.  When  my  mother  lived  I  went  to 
Mass  with  her;  since  then  I  have  gone  nowhere.  I  have  had 
no  Sunday  clothes.  I  know  that  the  bon  Dieu  has  taken  care 
of  me  or  I  should  have  died  of  hunger  long  ago.  The  priest 
I  was  with  used  to  tell  me  that  the  Huguenots  were  worse  than 
heathen;  but  if  that  were  so,  why  should  they  let  themselves 
be  thrown  into  prison,  and  even  be  put  to  death,  rather  than 
stay  away  from  their  churches.  As  for  me,  I  know  nothing 
about  it.  They  say  monsieur  is  a  Huguenot,  and  if  he  were 
good  enough  to  take  me  into  his  service,  of  course  I  should 
be  a  Huguenot." 


66  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"That  is  a  poor  reason,  Pierre,"  Philip  said  smiling. 
"  Still,  you  may  find  better  reasons  in  time.  However,  you  are 
not  a  Catholic,  which  is  the  principal  thing  at  present.  Well, 
I  will  try  you,  I  think.  Perhaps,  as  you  say,  you  have  never 
had  a  fair  chance  yet,  and  I  will  give  you  one.  I  believe 
what  you  say,  that  you  will  be  faithful.!' 

The  young  fellow's  face  lit  up  with  pleasure. 

"  I  will  be  faithful,  sir.  If  I  were  otherwise  I  should  deserve 
to  be  cut  in  pieces." 

"As  for  wages,"  Philip  said,  "I  will  pay  you  what  you 
deserve.  We  will  settle  that  when  we  see  how  we  get  on 
together.  Now  follow  me  and  I  will  get  some  suitable  clothes 
for  you." 

There  was  no  difficulty  about  this;  clothes  were  not  made 
to  fit  closely  in  those  days,  and  Philip  soon  procured  a  couple 
of  suits  suitable  for  the  serving-man  of  a  gentleman  of  con- 
dition. One  was  a  riding-suit,  with  high  boots,  doublet,  and 
trunks  of  sober  colour  and  of  a  strong  tough  material;  a  leather 
sword-belt  and  sword,  and  a  low  hat  thickly  lined  and  quilted 
and  capable  of  resisting  a  heavy  blow.  The  other  suit  was  for 
wear  in  the  house ;  it  was  of  dark-green  cloth  of  a  much  finer 
texture  than  the  riding-suit,  with  cloth  stockings  of  the  same 
colour  coming  up  above  the  knee,  and  then  meeting  the  trunks 
or  puffed  breeches.  A  small  cap  with  turned-up  brim,  fur- 
nished with  a  few  of  the  tail  feathers  of  a  black-cock,  com- 
pleted the  costume;  a  dagger  being  worn  in  the  belt  instead  of 
the  sword.  Four  woollen  shirts,  a  pair  of  shoes,  and  a  cloak 
were  added  to  the  purchases,  which  were  placed  in  a  valise  to 
be  carried  behind  the  saddle. 

"  Is  there  any  house  where  you  can  change  your  clothes, 
Pierre?  Of  course  you  could  do  so  at  Monsieur  Bertram's, 
but  some  of  the  men  I  brought  with  me  will  be  there,  and  it 
would  be  just  as  well  that  they  did  not  see  you  in  your  pres- 
ent attire." 

"  I  can  change  at  the  stables,  sir,  if  you  will  trust  me  with 
the  clothes." 

"  Certainly,  I  will  trust  you.  If  I  trust  you  sufficiently  to 
take  you  as  my  servant,  I  can  surely  trust  you  in  a  matter  like 
this.  Do  you  know  of  anyone  who  has  a  stout  nag  for  sale?  " 


AN   EXPERIMENT  67 

Pierre  knew  of  several,  and  giving  Philip  an  address  the 
latter  was  not  long  in  purchasing  one,  with  saddle  and  bridle 
complete.  He  ordered  this  to  be  sent  at  once  to  the  stables 
where  Pierre  had  been  employed,  with  directions  that  it  was 
to  be  handed  over  to  his  servant. 

It  was  one  o'clock  in  the  day  when  Madame  Vaillant  em- 
barked, and  it  was  late  in  the  afternoon  before  Philip  returned 
to  Monsieur  Bertram's  house. 

"What  have  you  done  about  that  vagabond  Pierre?" 

"I  have  hired  him,"  Philip  said. 

"You  don't  say  that  you  have  taken  him  after  what  I  have 
told  you  about  him !  "  the  merchant  exclaimed. 

"  I  have,  indeed.  He  pleaded  hard  for  a  trial,  and  I  am 
going  to  give  him  one.  I  believe  that  he  will  turn  out  a  useful 
fellow.  I  am  sure  that  he  is  shrewd,  and  he  ought  to  be  full 
of  expedients.  As  to  his  appearance,  good  food  and  decent 
clothes  will  make  him  another  man.  I  think  he  will  turn  out 
a  merry  fellow  when  he  is  well  fed  and  happy;  and  I  must  say, 
Maitre  Bertram,  that  I  am  not  fond  of  long  faces.  Lastly,  I 
believe  that  he  will  be  faithful." 

"Well,  well,  well,  I  wash  my  hands  of  it  altogether,  Mon- 
sieur Philip.  I  am  sorry  I  spoke  to  you  about  him,  but  I 
never  for  a  moment  thought  you  would  take  him.  If  harm 
comes  of  it  don't  blame  me." 

"I  will  hold  you  fully  acquitted,"  Philip  laughed.  "I  own 
that  I  have  taken  quite  a  fancy  to  him,  and  believe  that  he 
will  turn  out  well." 

An  hour  later  one  of  the  domestics  came  in  with  word  that 
Monsieur  Philip's  servant  was  below,  and  wished  to  know  if 
he  had  any  commands  for  him. 

"Tell  him  to  come  up,"  Philip  said,  and  a  minute  later 
Pierre  entered.  He  was  dressed  in  his  dark-green  costume. 
He  had  had  his  hair  cut,  and  presented  an  appearance  so 
changed  that  Philip  would  hardly  have  known  him. 

" By  my  faith !  "  the  merchant  said,  "you  have  indeed  trans- 
formed him.  He  is  not  a  bad-looking  varlet,  now  that  he  has 
got  rid  of  that  tangled  crop  of  hair." 

Pierre  bowed  low  at  the  compliment. 

"  Fine  feathers  make  fine  birds,  Monsieur  Bertram,"  replied 


68  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Pierre.  "  It  is  the  first  time  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of 
proving  the  truth  of  the  proverb.  I  am  greatly  indebted  to 
monsieur  for  recommending  me  to  my  master." 

"  It  is  not  much  recommendation  you  got  from  me,  Pierre," 
the  merchant  said  bluntly;  "for  a  more  troublesome  young 
scamp  I  never  had  in  my  warehouse.  Still,  as  I  told  Monsieur 
Philip,  I  think  everything  has  been  against  you,  and  I  do 
hope  now  that  this  English  gentleman  has  given  you  a  chance 
that  you  will  take  advantage  of  it." 

"I  mean  to,  sir,"  the  young  fellow  said  earnestly,  and  with- 
out a  trace  of  the  mocking  smile  with  which  he  had  first 
spoken.  "  If  I  do  not  give  my  master  satisfaction  it  will  not 
be  for  want  of  trying.  I  shall  make  mistakes  at  first — it  will 
all  be  strange  to  me,  but  I  feel  sure  that  he  will  make  allow- 
ances. I  can  at  least  promise  that  he  will  find  me  faithful  and 
devoted." 

"Has  your  horse  arrived,  Pierre?" 

"  Yes,  sir.  I  saw  him  watered  and  fed  before  I  came  out. 
Is  it  your  wish  that  I  should  go  round  to  the  stables  where 
your  horse  and  those  of  your  troop  are,  and  take  charge  of 
your  horse  at  once?  " 

"No,  Pierre;  the  men  will  look  after  him  as  usual.  We 
will  start  at  six  in  the  morning.  Be  at  the  door  on  horseback 
at  that  hour." 

Pierre  bowed  and  withdrew. 

"  I  do  not  feel  so  sure  as  I  did  that  you  have  made  a  bad 
bargain,  Monsieur  Philip.  As  far  as  appearances  go  at  any 
rate,  he  would  pass  muster.  Except  that  his  cheeks  want 
filling  out  a  bit,  he  is  a  nimble,  active-looking  young  fellow, 
and  with  that  little  moustache  of  his  and  his  hair  cut  short  he 
is  by  no  means  ill-looking.  I  really  should  not  have  known 
him.  I  think  at  present  he  means  what  he  says,  though 
whether  he  will  stick  to  it  is  another  matter  altogether." 

"I  think  he  will  stick  to  it,"  Philip  said  quietly.  "Put- 
ting aside  what  he  says  about  being  faithful  to  me,  he  is  shrewd 
enough  to  see  that  it  is  a  better  chance  than  he  is  ever  likely 
to  have  again  of  making  a  start  in  life.  He  has  been  leading 
a  dog's  life  ever  since  he  was  a  child,  and  to  be  well  fed  and 
well  clothed  and  fairly  treated  will  be  a  wonderful  change  for 


AN   EXPERIMENT  69 

him.  My  only  fear  is  that  he  may  get  into  some  scrape  at  the 
chateau.  I  believe  that  he  is  naturally  full  of  fun,  and  fun 
is  a  thing  that  the  Huguenots,  with  all  their  virtues,  hardly 
appreciate." 

"A  good  thrashing  will  tame  him  of  that,"  the  merchant 
said. 

Philip  laughed.  "I  don't  think  I  shall  be  driven  to  try 
that.  I  don't  say  that  servants  are  never  thrashed  in  England, 
but  I  have  not  been  brought  up  among  the  class  who  beat  their 
servants.  I  think  I  shall  be  able  to  manage  him  without  that. 
If  I  can't  we  must  part.  I  suppose  there  is  no  doubt,  Monsieur 
Bertram,  how  La  Rochelle  will  go.  when  the  troubles  begin?" 

"  I  think  not.  All  preparations  are  made  on  our  part,  and 
as  soon  as  the  news  comes  that  Conde"  and  the  Admiral  have 
thrown  their  flags  to  the  wind,  we  shall  seize  the  gates,  turn 
out  all  who  oppose  us,  and  declare  for  the  cause.  I  do  not 
think  it  can  be  much  longer  delayed.  I  sent  a  trusty  servant 
yesterday  to  fetch  back  my  daughter,  who,  as  I  told  you,  has 
been  staying  with  a  sister  of  mine  five  or  six  leagues  away.  I 
want  to  have  her  here  before  the  troubles  break  out.  It  will 
be  no  time  for  damsels  to  be  wandering  about  the  country 
when  swords  are  once  out  of  their  scabbards." 

The  next  morning  the  little  troop  started  early  from  La 
Rochelle,  Pierre  riding  gravely  behind  Philip.  The  latter 
presently  called  him  up  to  his  side. 

"  I  suppose  you  know  the  country  round  here  well  ?  " 

"Every  foot  of  it.  I  don't  think  that  there  is  a  pond  in 
which  I  have  not  laid  my  lines,  not  a  streamlet  of  which  I  do 
not  know  every  pool,  not  a  wood  that  I  have  not  slept  in  nor 
a  hedge  where  I  have  not  laid  snares  for  rabbits.  I  could  find 
my  way  about  as  well  by  night  as  by  day;  and  you  know,  sir, 
that  may  be  of  use  if  you  ever  want  to  send  a  message  into  the 
town  when  the  Guises  have  got  their  troops  lying  outside." 

Philip  looked  sharply  at  him.  "  Oh,  you  think  it  likely  that 
the  Guises  will  soon  be  besieging  La  Rochelle?  " 

"Anyone  who  keeps  his  ears  open  can  learn  that,"  Pierre 
said  quietly.  "I  haven't  troubled  myself  about  these  matters. 
It  made  no  difference  to  me  whether  the  Huguenots  or  the 
Catholics  were  in  the  saddle;  still,  one  doesn't  keep  one's 


70  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

ears  closed,  and  people  talk  freely  enough  before  me.  'Pierre 
does  not  concern  himself  with  these  things;  the  lad  is  half  a 
fool;  he  pays  no  attention  to  what  is  "being  said; '  so  they 
would  go  on  talking,  and  I  would  go  on  rubbing  down  a  horse 
or  eating  my  black  bread  with  a  bit  of  cheese  or  an  onion,  or 
whatever  I  might  be  about,  and  looking  as  if  I  did  not  even 
know  they  were  there.  But  I  gathered  that  the  Catholics  think 
that  the  Guises  and  Queen  Catharine  and  Philip  of  Spain  and 
the  Pope  are  going  to  put  an  end  to  the  Huguenots  altogether. 
From  those  on  the  other  side  I  learned  that  the  Huguenots 
will  take  the  first  step  in  La  Rochelle,  and  that  one  fine  morn- 
ing the  Catholics  are  likely  to  find  themselves  bundled  out  of 
it.  Then  it  doesn't  need  much  sense  to  see  that  ere  long  we 
shall  be  having  a  Catholic  army  down  here  to  retake  the  place, 
that  is  if  the  Huguenot  lords  are  not  strong  enough  to  stop 
them  on  their  way." 

"  And  you  think  the  Catholics  are  not  on  their  guard  at  all  ?  " 
"  Not  they, "  Pierre  said  contemptuously.  "  They  have  been 
strengthening  the  walls  and  building  fresh  ones,  thinking  that 
an  attack  might  come  from  without  from  the  Huguenots,  and 
all  the  time  the  people  of  that  religion  in  the  town  have  been 
laughing  in  their  sleeves  and  pretending  to  protest  against 
being  obliged  to  help  at  the  new  works,  but  really  paying  and 
working  willingly.  Why,  they  even  let  the  magistrates  arrest 
and  throw  into  prison  a  number  of  their  party  without  saying 
a  word,  so  that  the  priests  and  the  commissioners  should  think 
they  have  got  it  entirely  their  own  way.  It  has  been  fun 
watching  it  all,  and  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  take  to  the 
woods  again  directly  it  began.  I  had  no  part  in  the  play,  and 
did  not  wish  to  run  any  risk  of  getting  a  ball  through  my  head, 
whether  from  a  Catholic  or  a  Huguenot  arquebus.  Now  of 
course  it  is  all  different.  Monsieur  is  a  Huguenot,  and  there- 
fore so  am  I.  It  is  the  Catholic  bullets  that  will  be  shot  at 
me,  and  as  no  one  likes  to  be  shot  at  I  shall  soon  hate  the 
Catholics  cordially,  and  shall  be  ready  to  do  them  any  ill-turn 
that  you  may  desire." 

"  And  you  think  that  if  necessary,  Pierre,  you  could  carry 
a  message  into  the  town,  even  though  the  Catholics  were 
camped  round  it." 


AN  EXPERIMENT  71 

Pierre  nodded.  "I  have  never  seen  a  siege,  master,  and 
don't  know  how  close  the  soldiers  might  stand  round  a  town; 
but  I  think  that  if  a  rabbit  could  get  through  I  could,  and  if 
I  could  not  get  in  by  land  I  could  manage  somehow  to  get 
in  by  water." 

"  But  such  matters  as  this  do  not  come  within  your  service, 
Pierre.  Your  duties  are  to  wait  on  me  when  not  in  the  field, 
to  stand  behind  my  chair  at  meals,  and  to  see  that  my  horses 
are  well  attended  to  by  the  stable  varlets.  When  we  take  the 
field  you  will  not  be  wanted  to  fight,  but  will  look  after  my 
things;  will  buy  food  and  cook  it,  get  dry  clothes  ready  for 
me  to  put  on  if  I  come  back  soaked  with  rain,  and  keep  an 
eye  upon  my  horses.  Two  of  the  men-at-arms  will  have 
special  charge  of  them;  they  will  groom  and  feed  them.  But 
if  they  are  away  with  me  they  cannot  see  after  getting  forage 
for  them,  and  it  will  be  for  you  to  get  hold  of  that,  either  by 
buying  it  from  the  villagers  or  employing  a  man  to  cut  it.  At 
any  rate  to  see  that  there  is  food  for  them  as  well  as  for  me 
when  the  day's  work  is  over." 

"I  understand  that,  master;  but  there  are  times  when  a  lad 
who  can  look  like  a  fool  but  is  not  altogether  one  can  carry 
messages  and  make  himself  very  useful,  if  he  does  not  place 
over  much  value  on  his  life.  When  you  want  anything  done, 
no  matter  what  it  is,  you  have  only  to  tell  me,  and  it  will  be 
done  if  it  is  possible." 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  after  starting  they  ap- 
proached the  chateau.  The  old  sergeant  of  the  band,  who 
with  two  of  his  men  was  riding  a  hundred  yards  ahead, 
checked  his  horse  and  rode  back  to  Philip. 

"There  is  something  of  importance  doing,  Monsieur  Philip; 
the  flag  is  flying  over  the  chateau.  I  have  not  seen  it  hoisted 
before  since  my  lord's  death,  and  I  can  make  out  horsemen 
galloping  to  and  from  the  gates." 

"We  will  gallop  on  then,"  Philip  said,  and  in  ten  minutes 
they  arrived.  Francois  ran  down  the  steps  as  Philip  alighted 
in  the  courtyard. 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  come,  Philip.  I  had  already  given 
orders  for  a  horseman  to  ride  to  meet  you,  and  tell  you  to 
hurry  on.  The  die  is  cast  at  last.  There  was  a  meeting  yes- 


72  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

terday  at  the  Admiral's;  a  messenger  came  to  my  mother  from 
my  cousin,  Francois  de  la  Noiie.  The  Admiral  and  Conde 
had  received  news  from  a  friend  at  court  that  there  had  been 
a  secret  meeting  of  the  Royal  Council,  and  that  it  had  been 
settled  that  the  Prince  should  be  thrown  into  prison  and 
Coligny  executed.  The  Swiss  troops  were  to  be  divided  be- 
tween Paris,  Orleans,  and  Poitiers.  The  edict  of  toleration 
was  to  be  annulled,  and  instant  steps  taken  to  suppress  Hugue- 
not worship  by  the  sternest  measures.  In  spite  of  this  news 
the  Admiral  still  urged  patience;  but  his  brother,  D'Andelot, 
took  the  lead  among  the  party  of  action,  and  pointed  out  that 
if  they  waited  until  they,  the  leaders,  were  all  dragged  away 
to  prison,  resistance  by  the  Huguenots  would  be  hopeless. 
Since  the  last  war  over  three  thousand  Huguenots  had  been 
put  to  violent  deaths.  Was  this  number  to  be  added  to  in- 
definitely? Were  they  to  wait  until  their  wives  and  children 
were  in  the  hands  of  the  executioners  before  they  moved? 
His  party  were  in  the  majority,  and  the  Admiral  reluctantly 
yielded.  Then  there  was  a  discussion  as  to  the  steps  to  be 
taken.  Some  proposed  the  seizure  of  Orleans  and  other  large 
towns,  and  that  with  these  in  their  hands  they  should  nego- 
tiate with  the  court  for  the  dismissal  of  the  Swiss  troops,  as 
neither  toleration  nor  peace  could  be  hoped  for  as  long  as  this 
force  was  at  the  disposal  of  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine  and  his 
brothers. 

"This  council,  however,  was  overruled.  It  was  pointed 
out  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  last  war  the  Huguenots  held 
fully  a  hundred  towns,  but  nearly  all  were  wrested  from  their 
hands  before  its  termination.  It  was  finally  resolved  that  all 
shall  be  prepared  for  striking  a  heavy  blow,  and  that  the  ris- 
ing shall  be  arranged  to  take  place  throughout  France  on  the 
29th  of  September.  That  an  army  shall  take  the  field,  dis- 
perse the  Swiss,  seize  if  possible  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine, 
and  at  any  rate  petition  the  king  for  a  redress  of  grievances, 
for  a  removal  of  the  Cardinal  from  his  councils,  and  for  send- 
ing all  foreign  troops  out  of  the  kingdom.  We  have,  you  see, 
a  fortnight  to  prepare.  We  have  just  sent  out  messengers  to 
all  our  Huguenot  friends,  warning  them  that  the  day  is  fixed, 
that  their  preparations  are  to  be  made  quietly,  and  that  we 


AN  EXPERIMENT  73 

will  notify  them  when  the  hour  arrives.  All  are  exhorted  to 
maintain  an  absolute  silence  upon  the  subject,  while  seeing 
that  their  tenants  and  retainers  are  in  all  respects  ready  to 
take  the  field." 

"Why  have  you  hoisted  your  flag,  Francois?  That  will 
only  excite  attention." 

"  It  is  my  birthday,  Philip,  and  the  flag  is  supposed  to  be 
raised  in  my  honour.  This  will  serve  as  an  excuse  for  the 
assemblage  of  our  friends,  and  the  gathering  of  the  tenants. 
It  has  been  arranged,  as  you  know,  that  I,  and  of  course  you, 
are  to  ride  with  De  la  Noiie,  who  is  a  most  gallant  gentleman, 
and  that  our  contingent  is  to  form  part  of  his  command.  I 
am  heartily  glad  this  long  suspense  is  over,  and  that  at  last 
we  are  going  to  meet  the  treachery  of  the  court  by  force. 
Too  long  have  we  remained  passive,  while  thousands  of  our 
friends  have  in  defiance  of  the  edicts  been  dragged  to  prison 
and  put  to  death.  Fortunately  the  court  is,  as  it  was  before 
the  last  war,  besotted  with  the  belief  that  we  are  absolutely 
powerless,  and  we  have  every  hope  of  taking  them  by 
surprise." 

"I  also  am  glad  that  war  has  been  determined  upon," 
Philip  said.  "Since  I  have  arrived  here  I  have  heard  noth- 
ing but  tales  of  persecution  and  cruelty.  I  quite  agree  with 
you  that  the  time  has  come  when  the  Huguenots  must  either 
fight  for  their  rights,  abandon  the  country  altogether  and  go 
into  exile,  as  so  many  have  already  done,  or  renounce  their 
religion." 

"  I  see  you  have  a  new  servant,  Philip.  He  is  an  active, 
likely-looking  lad,  but  rather  young.  He  can  know  nothing 
of  campaigning." 

"  I  believe  he  is  a  very  handy  fellow,  with  plenty  of  sense 
and  shrewdness;  and  if  he  can  do  the  work,  I  would  rather 
have  a  man  of  that  age  than  an  older  one.  It  is  different  with 
you.  You  are  Francois,  Count  de  Laville,  and  your  servant 
whatever  his  age  would  hold  you  in  respect;  I  am  younger 
and  of  far  less  consequence,  and  an  old  servant  might  want  to 
take  me  under  his  tuition.  Moreover,  if  there  is  hard  work 
to  be  done  for  me  I  would  rather  have  a  young  fellow  like  this 
doing  it  than  an  older  man." 


74  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"You  are  always  making  out  that  you  are  a  boy,  Philip. 
You  don't  look  it,  and  you  are  going  to  play  a  man's  part." 

"I  mean  to  play  it  as  far  as  I  can,  Francois;  but  that  does 
not  really  make  me  a  day  older." 

"Well,  mind,  not  a  word  to  a  soul  as  to  the  day  fixed  on." 

For  the  next  fortnight  the  scene  at  the  chateau  was  a  busy 
one.  Huguenot  gentlemen  came  and  went.  The  fifty  men- 
at-arms  who  were  to  accompany  Francois  were  inspected,  and 
their  arms  and  armour  served  out  to  them.  The  tenantry 
came  up  in  small  parties,  and  were  also  provided  with  weap- 
ons, offensive  and  defensive,  from  the  armoury,  so  that  they 
might  be  in  readiness  to  assemble  for  the  defence  of  the 
chateau  at  the  shortest  notice.  All  were  kept  in  ignorance  as 
to  what  was  really  going  on;  but  it  was  felt  that  a  crisis  was 
approaching,  and  there  was  an  expression  of  grim  satisfaction 
on  the  stern  faces  of  the  men  that  showed  they  rejoiced  at 
the  prospect  of  a  termination  to  the  long  passive  suffering 
which  they  had  borne  at  the  hands  of  the  persecutors  of  their 
faith.  Hitherto  they  themselves  had  suffered  but  little,  for 
the  Huguenots  were  strong  in  the  south  of  Poitou,  while  in 
Niort,  the  nearest  town  to  the  chateau,  the  Huguenots,  if  not 
in  an  absolute  majority,  were  far  too  strong  to  be  molested  by 
the  opposite  party.  Nevertheless  here,  and  in  all  other  towns, 
public  worship  was  suspended,  and  it  was  only  in  the  chateaux 
and  castles  of  the  nobles  that  the  Huguenots  could  gather  to 
worship  without  fear  of  interruption  or  outrage.  There  was 
considerable  debate  as  to  whether  Francois'  troop  should 
march  to  join  the  Admiral  at  Chatillon-sur-Loing,  or  should 
proceed  to  the  south-east,  where  parties  were  nearly  equally 
balanced;  but  the  former  course  was  decided  upon.  The 
march  itself  would  be  more  perilous,  but  as  Conde",  the  Ad- 
miral, and  his  brother  D'Andelot  would  be  with  the  force 
gathered  there,  it  was  the  most  important  point;  and  more- 
over Francois  de  la  Noiie  would  be  there. 

So  well  was  the  secret  of  the  intended  movement  kept,  that 
the  French  court,  which  was  at  Meaux,  had  no  idea  of  the 
danger  that  threatened,  and  when  a  report  of  the  intentions 
of  the  Huguenots  came  from  the  Netherlands,  it  was  received 
with  incredulity.  A  spy  was,  however,  sent  to  Chatillon  to 


AN   EXPERIMENT  75 

report  upon  what  the  Admiral  was  doing,  and  he  returned  with 
the  news  that  he  was  at  home,  and  was  busily  occupied  in 
superintending  his  vintage. 

On  the  evening  of  the  26th  the  troop,  fifty  strong,  mustered 
in  the  courtyard  of  the  chateau.  All  were  armed  with  breast 
and  back  pieces  and  steel  caps,  and  carried  lances  as  well  as 
swords.  In  addition  to  this  troop  were  Philip's  four  men-at- 
arms,  and  four  picked  men,  who  were  to  form  Francois'  body- 
guard, one  of  them  carrying  his  banner.  He  took  as  his 
body-servant  a  man  who  had  served  his  father  in  that  capac- 
ity. He  and  Pierre  wore  lighter  armour  than  the  others,  and 
carried  no  lances.  Francois  and  Philip  were  both  in  com- 
plete armour,  Philip  donning  for  the  first  time  that  given  to 
him  by  his  uncle. 

Neither  of  them  carried  lances,  but  were  armed  with  swords, 
light  battle-axes,  and  pistols.  Before  mounting  service  was 
held;  the  pastor  offered  up  prayers  for  the  blessing  of  God 
upon  their  arms,  and  for  his  protection  over  each  and  all  of 
them  in  the  field.  The  countess  herself  made  them  a  stirring 
address,  exhorting  them  to  remember  that  they  fought  for  the 
right  to  worship  God  unmolested,  and  for  the  lives  of  those 
dear  to  them.  Then  she  tenderly  embraced  her  son  and 
Philip,  the  trumpets  sounded  to  horse,  and  the  party  rode  out 
from  the  gates  of  the  chateau.  As  soon  as  they  were  away  the 
two  young  leaders  took  off  their  helmets  and  handed  them  to 
their  attendants,  who  rode  behind  them.  Next  to  these  came 
their  eight  body-guards,  who  were  followed  by  the  captain  and 
his  troop. 

"  It  may  be  that  this  armour  will  be  useful  on  the  day  of 
battle,"  Philip  said,  "but  at  present  it  seems  to  me,  Francois, 
that  I  would  much  rather  be  without  it." 

"  I  quite  agree  with  you,  Philip.  If  we  had  only  to  fight 
with  gentlemen,  armed  with  swords,  I  would  gladly  go  into 
battle  unprotected;  but  against  men  with  lances,  one  needs  a 
defence.  However,  I  do  not  care  so  much  now  that  I  havs 
got  rid  of  the  helmet,  which,  in  truth,  is  a  heavy  burden." 

"Methinks,  Francois,  that  armour  will  ere  long  be  aban- 
doned,  now  that  arquebuses  and  cannon  are  coming  more  anj 
more  into  use.  Against  them  they  give  no  protection,  and  it 


76  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

were  better,  methinks,  to  have  lightness  and  freedom  oi 
action,  than  to  have  the  trouble  of  wearing  all  this  iron  stuff 
merely  as  a  protection  against  lances.  You  have  been  trained 
to  wear  armour,  and  therefore  feel  less  inconvenience;  but  I 
have  never  had  as  much  as  a  breast-plate  on  before,  and  I  feel 
at  present  as  if  I  had  almost  lost  the  use  of  my  arms.  I  think 
that  at  any  rate  I  shall  speedily  get  rid  of  these  arm-pieces; 
the  body  armour  I  don't  so  much  mind,  now  that  I  am  fairly 
in  the  saddle.  The  leg-pieces  are  not  as  bad  as  those  on  the 
arms;  I  was  scarcely  able  to  walk  in  them;  still  now  that  I 
am  mounted  I  do  not  feel  them  much.  But  if  I  am  to  be  of 
any  use  in  a  melee  I  mtist  have  my  arms  free,  and  trust  to  my 
sword  to  protect  them." 

"I  believe  that  some  have  already  given  them  up,  Philip; 
and  if  you  have  your  sleeves  well  wadded  and  quilted,  I  think 
you  might  if  you  like  give  up  the  armour.  The  men-at-arms 
are  not  so  protected,  and  it  is  only  when  you  meet  a  noble  in 
full  armour  that  you  would  be  at  a  disadvantage." 

"  I  don't  think  it  would  be  a  disadvantage,  for  I  could  strike 
twice  with  my  arms  free  to  once  with  them  so  confined." 

"There  is  one  thing,  you  will  soon  become  accustomed  to 
the  armour." 

"Not  very  soon,  I  fancy,  Francois.  You  know,  you  have 
been  practising  in  it  almost  since  you  were  a  child,  and  yet 
you  admit  that  you  feel  a  great  difference.  Still,  I  daresay  as 
the  novelty  wears  off  I  shall  get  accustomed  to  it  to  some 
extent." 


CHAPTER  V 

TAKING  THE   FIELD 

A  GUIDE  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  country  rode 
ahead  of  the  party,  carrying  a  lantern  fixed  at  the  back 
of  his  saddle.  They  had,  after  leaving  the  chateau,  begun 
to  mount  the  lofty  range  of  hills  behind.  The  road  crossing 
these  was  a  mere  track,  and  they  were  glad  when  they  began 
to  descend  on  the  other  side.  They  crossed  the  Clain  river 
some  ten  miles  above  Poitiers,  a  few  miles  farther  forded  the 
Vienne,  crossed  the  Gartempe  at  a  bridge  at  the  village  of 
Montmorillon,  and  an  hour  later  halted  in  a  wood,  just  as 
daylight  was  breaking,  having  ridden  nearly  fifty  miles  since 
leaving  the  chateau. 

So  far  they  had  kept  to  the  south  of  the  direct  course  in 
order  to  cross  the  rivers  near  their  sources. 

Every  man  carried  provisions  for  himself  and  his  horse, 
and  as  soon  as  they  had  partaken  of  a  hearty  meal  the  armour 
was  unstrapped,  and  all  threw  themselves  down  for  a  long 
sleep;  sentries  being  first  placed,  with  orders  to  seize  any 
peasants  who  might  enter  the  wood  to  gather  fuel.  With  the 
exception  of  the  sentries,  who  were  changed  every  hour,  the 
rest  slept  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  then  the  horses  were 
again  fed  and  groomed,  and  another  meal  was  eaten.  At 
sunset  the  armour  was  buckled  on  again,  and  they  started. 
They  crossed  the  Creuse  at  the  bridge  of  Argenton  about 
midnight,  and  riding  through  La  Chatre  halted  before  morn- 
ing in  a  wood  two  miles  from  St.  Amand.  Here  the  day  was 
passed  as  the  previous  one  had  been. 

77 


78  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"Tell  me,  Francois,"  Philip  said,  as  they  were  waiting  for 
the  sun  to  go  down,  "something  about  your  cousin  De  la 
Nolle.  As  we  are  to  ride  with  him,  it  is  as  well  to  know 
something  about  him.  How  old  is  he?  " 

"He  is  thirty-six,  and  there  is  no  braver  gentleman  in 
France.  As  you  know,  he  is  of  a  Breton  family,  one  of  the 
most  illustrious  of  the  province.  He  is  connected  with  the 
great  houses  of  Chateau-Briant  and  Matignon.  As  a  boy  he 
was  famous  for  the  vigour  and  strength  that  he  showed  in 
warlike  exercises,  but  was  in  other  respects,  I  have  heard,  of 
an  indolent  disposition,  and  showed  no  taste  for  reading  or 
books  of  any  kind.  As  usual  among  the  sons  of  noble  fami- 
lies he  went  up  to  the  court  of  Henry  II.  as  a  page,  and  when 
there  became  seized  with  an  ardour  for  study,  especially  that 
of  ancient  and  modern  writers  who  treated  on  military  sub- 
jects. As  soon  as  he  reached  manhood  he  joined  the  army  in 
Piedmont,  under  Marshal  de  Brissac,  that  being  the  best  mili- 
tary school  of  the  time. 

"  On  his  return  he  showed  the  singular  and  affectionate  kind- 
ness of  his  nature.  His  mother,  unfortunately,  while  he  was 
away,  had  become  infected  with  the  spirit  of  gambling,  and 
the  king,  who  had  noted  the  talent  and  kind  disposition  of 
the  young  page,  thought  to  do  him  a  service  by  preventing 
his  mother  squandering  the  estates  in  play.  He  therefore 
took  the  management  of  her  affairs  entirely  out  of  her  hands, 
appointing  a  royal  officer  to  look  after  them.  Now  most 
young  men  would  have  rejoiced  at  becoming  masters  of  their 
estates,  but  the  first  thing  that  Francois  did  on  his  return  was 
to  go  to  the  king,  and  solicit  as  a  personal  favour  that  his 
mother  should  be  reinstated  in  the  management  of  her  estates. 
This  was  granted,  but  a  short  time  afterwards  she  died.  De 
la  Noiie  retired  from  court,  and  settled  in  Brittany  upon  his 
estates,  which  were  extensive. 

"Shortly  afterwards  D'Andelot,  Coligny's  brother,  who  was 
about  to  espouse  Madamoiselle  De  Rieux,  the  richest  heiress 
in  Brittany,  paid  a  visit  there.  He  had  lately  embraced  our 
faith  and  was  bent  upon  bringing  over  others  to  it,  and  he 
brought  down  with  him  to  Brittany  a  famous  preacher  named 
Cormel.  His  preaching  in  the  chateau  attracted  large  num- 


TAKING    THE    HELD  79 

bers  of  people,  and  although  Brittany  is  perhaps  the  most 
Catholic  province  in  France,  he  made  many  converts.  Among 
these  was  De  la  Noiie,  then  twenty-seven  years  old.  Recog- 
nizing his  talent  and  influence,  D'Andelot  had  made  special 
efforts  to  induce  him  to  join  the  ranks  of  the  Huguenots,  and 
succeeded.  My  cousin,  who  previous  to  that  had,  I  believe, 
no  special  religious  views,  became  a  firm  Huguenot.  As  you 
might  expect  with  such  a  man,  he  is  in  no  way  a  fanatic,  and 
does  not  hold  the  extreme  views  that  we  have  learned  from 
the  preachers  of  Geneva.  He  is  a  staunch  Huguenot;  but  he 
is  gentle,  courtly,  and  polished,  and  has,  I  believe,  the  regard 
of  men  of  both  parties.  He  is  a  personal  friend  of  the  Guises, 
and  was  appointed  by  them  as  one  of  the  group  of  nobles  who 
accompanied  Marie  Stuart  to  Scotland. 

"When  the  wrar  broke  out  in  1562,  after  the  massacre  of 
Vassy,  he  joined  the  standard  of  Conde".  He  fought  at  Dreux, 
and  distinguished  himself  by  assisting  the  Admiral  to  draw  off 
our  beaten  army  in  good  order.  The  assassination  of  Francois 
de  Guise,  as  you  know,  put  an  end  to  that  war.  De  la  Noiie 
bitterly  regretted  the  death  of  Guise,  and  after  peace  was  made 
retired  to  his  estates  in  Brittany,  where  he  has  lived  quietly 
for  the  last  four  years.  I  have  seen  him  several  times,  because 
he  has  other  estates  in  Poitou,  within  a  day's  ride  of  us.  I 
have  never  seen  a  man  I  admire  so  much.  He  is  all  for  peace, 
though  he  is  a  distinguished  soldier.  While  deeply  religious, 
he  has  yet  the  manners  of  a  noble  of  the  court  party.  He  has 
no  pride,  and  he  is  loved  by  the  poor  as  well  as  by  the  rich. 
He  would  have  done  anything  to  have  avoided  war;  but  you 
will  see  that,  now  the  war  has  begun,  he  will  be  one  of  our 
foremost  leaders.  I  can  tell  you,  Philip,  I  consider  myself 
fortunate  indeed  that  I  am  going  to  ride  in  the  train  of  so 
brave  and  accomplished  a  gentleman." 

During  the  day  they  learned  from  a  peasant  of  a  ford  cross- 
ing the  Cher,  two  or  three  miles  below  St.  Amand.  Entering 
a  village  near  the  crossing-place,  they  found  a  peasant  who 
was  willing  for  a  reward  to  guide  them  across  the  country  to 
Briare,  on  the  Loire — their  first  guide  had  returned  from  their 
first  halting-place, — and  the  peasant  being  placed  on  a  horse 
behind  a  man-at-arms,  took  the  lead.  Their  pace  was  much 


80  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

slower  than  it  had  been  the  night  before,  and  it  was  almost 
daybreak  when  they  passed  the  bridge  at  Briare,  having  ridden 
over  forty  miles.  They  rode  two  or  three  miles  into  the 
mountains  after  crossing  the  Loire,  and  then  halted. 

"We  must  give  the  horses  twenty-four  hours  here,"  Francois 
said.  "  I  don't  think  it  is  above  twenty  miles  on  to  Chatillon- 
sur-Loing;  but  it  is  all  through  the  hills,  and  it  is  of  no  use 
arriving  there  with  the  horses  so  knocked  up  as  to  be  useless 
for  service.  We  have  done  three  tremendous  marches,  and 
anyhow  we  shall  be  there  long  before  the  majority  of  the 
parties  from  the  west  and  south  can  arrive.  The  Admiral  and 
Conde  will  no  doubt  be  able  to  gather  sufficient  strength  from 
Champagne  and  the  north  of  Burgundy  for  his  purpose  of  tak- 
ing the  court  by  surprise.  I  am  afraid  there  is  but  little 
chance  of  their  succeeding.  It  is  hardly  possible  that  so 
many  parties  of  Huguenots  can  have  been  crossing  the  country 
in  all  directions  to  the  Admiral's  without  an  alarm  being 
given.  Meaux  is  some  sixty  miles  from  Chatillon,  and  if  the 
court  get  the  news  only  three  or  four  hours  before  Conde* 
arrives  there,  they  will  be  able  to  get  to  Paris  before  he  can 
cut  them  off." 

In  fact,  even  while  they  were  speaking  the  court  was  in  safety. 
The  Huguenots  of  Champagne  had  their  rendezvous  at  Rosoy, 
a  little  more  than  twenty  miles  from  Meaux,  and  they  began 
to  arrive  there  in  the  afternoon  of  the  28th.  The  Prince  of 
Conde",  who  was  awaiting  them,  feeling  sure  that  the  news  of 
the  movement  must  in  a  few  hours  at  any  rate  be  known  at 
Meaux,  marched  for  Lagny  on  the  Marne,  established  himself 
there  late  in  the  evening  and  seized  the  bridge.  The  news, 
however,  had  as  he  feared  already  reached  the  court,  and  mes- 
sages had  been  despatched  in  all  haste  to  order  up  six  thousand 
Swiss  troops,  who  were  stationed  at  Chateau-Thierry,  thirty 
miles  higher  up  the  Marne. 

During  the  hours  that  elapsed  before  their  arrival,  the  court 
was  in  a  state  of  abject  alarm;  but  at  one  o'clock  the  Swiss 
arrived,  and  two  hours  later  the  court  set  out  under  their  pro- 
tection for  Paris.  The  Prince  of  Conde",  who  had  with  him 
but  some  four  hundred  gentlemen,  for  the  most  part  armed 
only  with  swords,  met  the  force  as  it  passed  by  Lagny.  He 


TAKING  THE   FIELD  81 

engaged  in  a  slight  skirmish  with  it,  but  being  unable  with  his 
lightly-armed  followers  to  effect  anything  against  the  solid 
body  of  the  Swiss  mountaineers  armed  with  their  long  pikes, 
he  fell  back  to  await  reinforcements,  and  the  court  reached 
Paris  in  safety. 

A  messenger  had  arrived  at  Chatillon  with  the  news  when 
Francois  and  Philip  rode  in.  The  castle  gate  stood  open. 
Numbers  of  Huguenot  gentlemen  were  standing  in  excited 
groups  discussing  the  news. 

"  There  is  my  cousin  De  la  Nolle !  "  Francois  exclaimed  as 
he  alighted  from  his  horse.  "This  is  good  fortune.  I  was 
wondering  what  we  should  do  if  we  did  not  find  him  here," 
and  he  made  his  way  to  where  a.singularly  handsome  gentle- 
man was  talking  with  several  others. 

"  Ah,  Frangois,  is  that  you  ?  Well  arrived  indeed !  Gen- 
tlemen, this  is  my  cousin  and  namesake,  Frangois  de  Laville. 
He  has  ridden  across  France  to  join  us.  Is  that  your  troop, 
Frangois,  entering  the  gate  now?  Ah,  ym,  I  see  your  banner. 
By  my  faith  it  is  the  best  accoutred  body  we  have  seen  yet, 
they  make  a  brave  show  with  their  armour  and  lances.  The 
countess  has  indeed  shown  her  good-will  right  worthily,  and 
it  is  no  small  credit  to  you  that  you  should  have  brought  them 
across  from  the  other  side  of  Poitou,  and  yet  have  arrived  here 
before  many  who  live  within  a  few  leagues  of  the  castle.  And 
who  is  this  young  gentleman  with  you?  " 

"It  is  my  cousin,  Philip  Fletcher,  son  of  my  mother's  sister 
Lucie.  I  spoke  to  you  of  his  coming  to  us  when  you  were  at 
Laville  three  months  since.  He  has  come  over  in  order 
that  he  may  venture  his  life  on  behalf  of  our  religion  and 
family." 

"  I  am  glad  to  welcome  you,  young  sir.  We  are,  you  see, 
connections,  I  being  Philip's  first  cousin  on  his  father's  side, 
and  you  on  that  of  his  mother.  Your  spirit  in  coming  over 
here  shows  that  you  inherit  the  bravery  of  your  mother's  race, 
and  I  doubt  not  that  we  shall  find  that  the  mixture  with  the 
sturdy  stock  of  England  will  have  added  to  its  qualities. 
Would  that  your  queen  would  but  take  her  proper  place  as 
head  of  a  league  of  the  Protestants  of  Europe,  our  cause  would 
then  be  well-nigh  won  without  the  need  of  striking  a  blow." 


82  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"Is  it  true,  cousin,  that  the  court  has  escaped  to  Paris? " 

"Yes.  I  would  that  Cond6  had  had  but  a' few  hours  longer 
before  they  took  the  alarm,  another  day  and  he  would  have 
had  such  a  gathering  as  it  would  have  puzzled  the  Swiss  to 
have  got  through.  His  forces  were  double  yesterday,  and 
eight  hundred  have  ridden  forth  from  here  this  morning  to 
join  him.  I  myself,  though  I  made  all  speed,  arrived  but  two 
hours  since,  and  shall  with  all  who  come  in  this  evening  ride 
forward  to-morrow.  The  Admiral,  and  his  brother  the  Car- 
dinal of  Chatillon,  will  go  with  us.  D'Andelot  is  already 
with  Conde".  Now  as  your  troop  is  to  ride  with  mine,  I  will 
see  that  they  are  disposed  for  the  night  together,  and  that 
their  wants  are  attended  to.  My  men  have  picketed  their 
horses  just  outside  the  castle  moat;  for,  as  you  see,  we  are 
crowded  here  with  gentlemen  and  their  personal  followers,  and 
it  would  be  impossible  to  make  room  for  all.  I  will  take  your 
officer  to  the  seneschal,  who  will  see  that  your  men  are  pro- 
vided with  bread,  meat,  and  wine.  Ah,  Captain  Montpace, 
you  are  in  command  of  the  troop,  I  see.  I  thought  the  coun- 
tess would  send  so  experienced  a  soldier  with  them,  and  I  am 
proud  to  have  such  a  well-appointed  troop  behind  me.  None 
so  well  armed  and  orderly  have  yet  arrived.  My  own  at  present 
are  forty  strong,  and  have,  like  you,  made  their  way  across 
France  from  Poitou. 

"  I  could  not  bring  my  Bretons,"  he  said  turning  to  Francois. 
"  The  Huguenots  there  are  but  a  handful  among  the  Catholics. 
Happily  on  my  estates  they  are  good  friends  together,  but  I 
could  not  call  away  men  from  their  homes  at  a  time  like  this. 
Now,  Captain  Montpace,  I  will  show  you  where  your  men  are 
to  bivouac  next  to  my  own.  Then  if  you  will  come  with  me 
to  the  seneschal,  rations  shall  be  served  out  to  them.  Are 
your  horses  fit  for  another  journey?  " 

"  They  will  be  by  to-morrow  morning,  Count.  They  have 
only  come  from  this  side  of  Briare  this  morning,  but  though 
the  journey  is  not  long  the  road  is  heavy.  They  had  twenty- 
four  hours'  rest  before  that,  which  they  needed  sorely,  having 
travelled  from  Laville  in  three  days." 

"  Draw  a  good  supply  of  forage  for  them  from  the  maga- 
zines," De  la  Noiie  said.  "See  that  the  saddle-bags  are  well 


TAKING  THE   FIELD  83 

filled  in  the  morning.  There  is  another  heavy  day's  work 
before  them,  and  then  they  can  take  a  good  rest." 

Francois  and  Philip  accompanied  the  troop,  and  waited 
until  they  saw  that  they  were  supplied  with  provisions  and 
forage,  and  with  straw  for  lying  down  on,  then  they  re-entered 
the  castle.  De  la  Nolle  presented  them  to  many  of  his  friends, 
and  then  took  them  into  the  Admiral.  He  quite  fulfilled  the 
anticipations  that  Philip  had  formed  of  him.  He  was  of  tall 
figure,  with  a  grave  but  kindly  face.  He  was  dressed  entirely 
in  black,  with  puffed  trunks,  doublet  to  match,  and  a  large 
turned-down  collar.  As  was  usual,  he  wore  over  his  shoulders 
a  loose  jacket  with  a  very  high  collar,  the  empty  sleeves  hang- 
ing down  on  either  side.  When  riding,  the  arms  were  thrust 
into  these.  He  wore  a  low  soft  cap  with  a  narrow  brim  all 
round.  The  expression  of  his  face,  with  its  short-pointed 
beard,  moustache,  and  closely-trimmed  whiskers,  was  melan- 
choly. The  greatest  captain  of  his  age,  he  was  more  reluc- 
tant than  any  of  his  followers  to  enter  upon  civil  war,  and  the 
fact  that  he  felt  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  save 
Protestantism  from  being  extinguished  in  blood,  in  no  way 
reconciled  him  to  it. 

He  received  Francois  and  his  cousin  kindly.  "  I  am  glad," 
he  said  to  the  former,  "  to  see  the  representative  of  the  Lavilles 
here.  Your  father  was  a  dear  friend  of  mine,  and  fell  fighting 
bravely  by  my  side.  I  should  have  been  glad  to  have  had  you 
riding  among  my  friends,  but  it  is  better  still  for  you  to  be 
with  your  cousin  De  la  Noiie,  who  is  far  more  suitable  as  a 
leader  and  guide  for  youth  than  I  am.  You  can  follow  no 
better  example.  I  am  glad  also,"  he  said  turning  to  Philip, 
"  to  have  another  representative  of  the  old  family  of  the  De 
Moulins  here,  and  to  find  that  though  transplanted  to  England 
it  still  retains  its  affection  for  France.  I  trust  that  ere  long 
I  may  have  many  of  your  countrymen  fighting  by  my  side. 
We  have  the  same  interests,  and  if  the  Protestant  nations 
would  unite,  the  demand  for  the  right  of  all  men,  Catholic  and 
Protestant,  to  worship  according  to  their  consciences  could  no 
longer  be  denied.  I  regret  that  your  queen  does  not  permit 
free  and  open  worship  to  her  Catholic  subjects,  since  her  not 
doing  so  affords  some  sort  of  excuse  to  Catholic  kings  and 


84  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

princes.  Still  I  know  that  this  law  is  not  put  rigidly  into 
force,  and  that  the  Catholics  do  in  fact  exercise  the  rights  of 
their  religion  without  hindrance  or  persecution;  and  above  all 
that  there  is  no  violent  ill-will  between  the  people  of  the  two 
religions.  Would  it  were  so  here.  Were  it  not  that  you  are 
going  to  ride  with  my  good  friend  here,  I  would  have  said  a 
few  words  to  you,  praying  you  to  remember  that  you  are  fighting 
not  for  worldly  credit  and  honour,  but  for  a  holy  cause,  and  it 
behoves  you  to  bear  yourselves  gravely  and  seriously;  but  no 
such  advice  is  needed  to  those  who  come  under  his  influence." 

Leaving  the  Count  de  la  Noiie  in  conversation  with  the 
Admiral,  Francois  and  Philip  made  their  way  to  the  hall,  where 
the  tables  were  laid,  so  that  all  who  came,  at  whatever  hour, 
could  at  once  obtain  food.  Their  own  servants,  who  were 
established  in  the  castle,  waited  upon  them. 

"  I  think  that  lackey  of  yours  will  turn  out  a  very  useful 
fellow,  Philip,"  Francois  said  as  they  left  the  hall.  "He  is 
quick  and  willing,  and  he  turned  out  our  dinner  yesterday  in 
good  fashion.  It  was  certainly  far  better  cooked  than  it  had 
been  by  Charles  the  day  before." 

"I  fancy  Pierre  has  done  a  good  deal  of  cooking  in  the 
open  air,"  Philip  said,  "and  we  shall  find  that  he  is  capable 
of  turning  out  toothsome  dishes  from  very  scanty  materials." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  for  though  I  am  ready  to  eat  horse- 
flesh if  necessary,  I  see  not  why  because  we  happen  to  be  at 
war  one  should  have  to  spoil  one's  teeth  by  gnawing  at  meat 
as  hard  as  leather.  Soldiers  are  generally  bad  cooks,  they  are 
in  too  much  haste  to  get  their  food  at  the  end  of  a  long  day's 
work  to  waste  much  time  with  the  cooking.  Here  comes  La 
Noiie  again." 

"  Will  you  order  your  troop  to  be  again  in  the  saddle  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  De  Laville, "  the  Count  said.  "  I  start 
with  a  party  of  two  hundred  at  that  hour.  There  will  be  my 
own  men  and  yours,  the  rest  will  be  gentlemen  and  their 
personal  retainers." 

"I  would  that  it  had  been  three  hours  later,"  Francois  said 
as  the  Count  left  them  and  moved  away,  giving  similar  orders 
to  the  other  gentlemen.  "  I  own  I  hate  moving  before  it  is 
light.  There  is  nothing  ruffles  the  temper  so  much  as  getting 


TAKING  THE   FIELD  85 

up  in  the  dark,  fumbling  with  your  buckles  and  straps,  and 
finding  everyone  else  just  as  surly  and  cross  as  you  feel  your- 
self. It  was  considered  a  necessary  part  of  my  training  that 
I  should  turn  out  and  arm  myself  at  all  times  of  the  night. 
It  was  the  part  of  my  exercises  that  I  hated  the  most." 

Philip  laughed.  "  It  will  not  make  much  difference  here, 
Frangois.  I  don't  like  getting  out  of  a  warm  bed  myself  on  a 
dark  winter's  morning,  but  as  there  will  be  certainly  no 
undressing  to-night,  and  we  shall  merely  have  to  get  up  and 
shake  the  straw  off  us,  it  will  not  matter  much.  By  half -past 
five  it  will  be  beginning  to  get  light.  At  any  rate  we  should 
not  mind  it  to-morrow,  as  it  will  be  really  our  first  day  of 
military  service." 

Up  to  a  late  hour  fresh  arrivals  continued  to  pour  in,  and 
the  cooks  and  servants  of  the  castle  were  kept  hard  at  work 
administering  to  the  wants  of  the  hungry  and  tired  men. 
There  was  no  regular  set  meal,  each  man  feeding  as  he  was 
disposed.  After  it  became  dark  all  the  gentlemen  of  family 
gathered  in  the  upper  part  of  the  great  hall,  and  there  sat  talk- 
ing by  the  light  of  torches  until  nine,  then  the  Admiral  with 
a  few  of  the  nobles  who  had  been  in  consultation  with  him 
joined  them,  and  a  quarter  of  an  hour  later  a  pastor  entered 
and  prayers  were  read.  Then  a  number  of  retainers  came  in 
with  trusses  of  straw,  which  were  shaken  down  thickly  beside 
the  walls,  and  as  soon  as  this  was  done,  all  present  prepared 
to  lie  down. 

"The  trumpet  will  sound,  gentlemen,"  Francois  de  la  Noiie 
said  in  a  loud  voice,  "at  half-past  four,  but  this  will  only 
concern  those  who,  as  it  has  already  been  arranged,  will  ride 
with  me — the  rest  will  set  out  with  the  Admiral  at  seven.  I 
pray  each  of  you  who  go  with  me  to  bid  his  servant  cut  off  a 
goodly  portion  of  bread  and  meat  to  take  along  with  him,  and 
to  place  a  flask  or  two  of  wine  in  his  saddle-bags,  for  our  ride 
will  be  a  long  one,  and  we  are  not  likely  to  be  able  to  obtain 
refreshment  on  our  way." 

"I  should  have  thought,"  Francois  said,  as  he  lay  down  on 
the  straw  by  Philip's  side,  "that  we  should  have  passed  through 
plenty  of  places  where  we  could  obtain  food.  Whether  we  go 
direct  to  Paris,  or  by  the  road  by  Lagny,  we  pass  through 
Nemours  and  Melun." 


86  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"These  places  may  not  open  their  gates  to  us,  Francois, 
and  in  that  case  probably  we  should  go  through  Montereau 
and  Rosoy,  and  it  may  be  considered  that  those  who  have 
already  gone  through  to  join  Conde"  may  have  pretty  well 
stripped  both  places  of  provisions." 

The  trumpet  sounded  at  half-past  four.  The  torches  were 
at  once  relighted  by  the  servants,  and  the  gentlemen  belong- 
ing to  La  Noiie' s  party  rose,  and  their  servants  assisted  them 
to  buckle  on  their  armour.  They  gave  them  instructions  as 
to  taking  some  food  with  them,  and  prepared  for  their  journey 
by  an  attack  on  some  cold  joints  that  had  been  placed  on  a 
table  at  the  lower  end  of  the  hall.  There  was  a  scene  of 
bustle  and  confusion  in  the  courtyard  as  the  horses  were 
brought  up  by  the  retainers.  The  Admiral  himself  was  there 
to  see  the  party  off,  and  as  they  mounted  each  issued  out  and 
joined  the  men  drawn  up  outside.  Before  starting,  the  min- 
ister according  to  Huguenot  custom  held  a  short  service,  and 
then  with  a  salute  to  the  Admiral,  La  Noiie  took  his  place  at 
their  head  and  rode  away. 

With  him  went  some  twenty  or  thirty  gentlemen,  behind 
whom  rode  their  body-servants.  After  these  followed  some 
fifty  men-at-arms  and  the  troops  of  La  Noiie  and  Laville.  As 
soon  as  they  were  off  La  Noiie  reined  in  his  horse  so  as  to 
ride  in  the  midst  of  his  friends,  and  chatted  gaily  with  them 
as  they  went  along.  An  hour  and  a  half's  brisk  riding  took 
them  to  Montargis.  Instead  of  keeping  straight  on,  as  most 
of  those  present  expected,  the  two  men  who  were  riding  a  short 
distance  in  advance  of  the  column  turned  sharp  off  to  the  left 
in  the  middle  of  the  town. 

"I  am  going  to  give  you  a  surprise,  gentlemen,"  De  la 
Noiie  said  with  a  smile.  "  I  will  tell  you  what  it  is  when  we 
are  once  outside  the  place." 

"I  suppose,"  one  of  the  gentlemen  from  the  province,  who 
was  riding  next  to  Philip,  said,  "  we  are  going  to  strike  the 
main  road  from  Orleans  north;  to  ride  through  Etampes,  and 
take  post  between  Versailles  and  Paris  on  the  south  side  of 
the  river,  while  the  Prince  and  his  following  beleaguer  the 
place  on  the  north.  It  is  a  bold  plan  thus  to  divide  our 
forces,  but  I  suppose  the  Admiral's  party  will  follow  us,  and 


TAKING  THE   FIELD  87 

by  taking  post  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  we  shall  straiten 
Paris  for  provisions." 

"Gentlemen,"  the  Count  said,  when  they  had  issued  from 
the  streets  of  Montargis,  "I  can  now  tell  you  the  mission 
which  the  Admiral  has  done  me  the  honour  to  confide  to  me. 
It  was  thought  best  to  keep  the  matter  an  absolute  secret  until 
we  were  thus  fairly  on  our  way,  because,  although  we  hope 
and  believe  that  there  is  not  a  man  at  Chatillon  who  is  not  to 
be  trusted,  there  may  possibly  be  a  spy  of  the  Guises  there, 
and  it  would  have  been  wrong  to  run  the  risk  of  betrayal. 
Well,  my  friends,  our  object  is  the  capture  of  Orleans." 

An  exclamation  of  surprise  broke  from  many  of  his  hearers. 

"It  seems  a  bold  enterprise  to  undertake  with  but  little 
over  two  hundred  men,"  La  Noiie  went  on  with  a  smile;  "but 
we  have  friends  there.  D'Andelot  has  been  for  the  last  ten 
days  in  communication  with  one  of  them.  We  may  of  course 
expect  to  meet  with  a  stout  resistance,  but  with  the  advantage 
of  a  surprise  and  with  so  many  gallant  gentlemen  with  me,  I 
have  no  shadow  of  fear  as  to  the  result.  I  need  not  point 
out  to  you  how  important  its  possession  will  be  to  us.  It  will 
keep  open  a  road  to  the  south,  will  afford  a  rallying-place  for 
all  our  friends  in  this  part  of  France,  and  the  news  of  its  cap- 
ture will  give  immense  encouragement  to  our  co-religionists 
throughout  the  country.  Besides  it  will  counterbalance  the 
failure  to  seize  the  court,  and  will  serve  as  an  example  to 
others  to  attempt  to  obtain  possession  of  strong  places.  We 
shall  ride  at  an  easy  pace  to-day,  for  the  distance  is  long  and 
the  country  hilly.  We  could  not  hope  to  arrive  there  until 
too  late  to  finish  our  work  before  dark.  Moreover,  most  of 
our  horses  have  already  had  very  hard  work  during  the  past 
few  days.  We  have  started  early  in  order  that  we  may  have  a 
halt  of  four  hours  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  We  are  to  be 
met  to-night  by  our  friend,  the  Master  of  Grelot,  five  miles 
this  side  of  the  city;  he  will  tell  us  what  arrangements  have 
been  made  for  facilitating  our  entrance." 

"This  is  a  glorious  undertaking,  Philip,  is  it  not?"  Fran- 
cois said.  "  Until  now  I  have  been  thinking  how  unfortunate 
we  were  in  being  too  late  to  ride  with  Conde\  Now  I  see 
that  what  I  thought  was  a  loss  has  turned  out  a  gain." 


88  ST.   RARTHOLOMEW'S    EVE 

"You  do  not  think  Cond£  will  be  able  to  do  anything 
against  Paris  ?"  Philip  asked. 

"  Certainly  not  at  present.  What  can  some  fifteen  hundred 
horsemen  and  as  many  infantry  (and  he  will  have  no  more 
force  than  that  for  another  three  or  four  days)  do  against  Paris 
with  its  walls  and  its  armed  population,  and  the  Guises  and 
their  friends  and  retainers,  to  say  nothing  of  the  six  thousand 
Swiss?  If  our  leaders  thought  they  were  going  to  fight  at  once 
they  would  hardly  have  sent  two  hundred  good  troops  off  in 
another  direction.  I  expect  we  shall  have  plenty  of  time  to 
get  through  this  and  other  expeditions  and  then  to  join  the 
Prince  in  front  of  Paris  before  any  serious  fighting  takes 
place." 

"Do  you  know  how  far  it  is  across  the  hills  to  Orleans?" 
Philip  asked  the  gentleman  next  to  him  on  the  other  side. 

"  It  is  over  fifty  miles,  but  how  much  more  I  do  not  know. 
I  am  a  native  of  the  province,  but  I  have  never  travelled  along 
this  road,  which  can  be  but  little  used.  East  of  Montargis 
the  traffic  goes  by  the  great  road  through  Me"lun  to  Paris,  while 
the  traffic  of  Orleans,  of  course,  goes  north  through  Etampes." 

They  rode  on  until  noon,  and  then  dismounted  by  a  stream, 
watered  and  fed  the  horses,  partook  of  a  meal  from  the  con- 
tents of  their  saddle-bags,  and  then  rested  for  four  hours  to 
recruit  the  strength  of  their  horses.  The  soldiers  mostly 
stretched  themselves  on  the  sward  and  slept.  A  few  of  the 
gentlemen  did  the  same,  but  most  of  them  sat  chatting  in 
groups,  discussing  the  enterprise  upon  which  they  were  en- 
gaged. Frangois  and  Philip  went  among  their  men  with  Cap- 
tain Montpace,  inspected  the  horses,  examined  their  shoes, 
saw  that  fresh  nails  were  put  in  where  required,  chatting  with 
the  men  as  they  did  so. 

"  I  felt  sure  we  should  not  be  long  before  we  were  engaged 
on  some  stirring  business,"  the  Captain  said.  "The  Count 
de  la  Notie  is  not  one  to  let  the  grass  grow  under  his  feet.  I 
saw  much  of  him  in  the  last  campaign,  and  the  count,  your 
father,  had  a  very  high  opinion  of  his  military  abilities.  At 
first  he  was  looked  upon  somewhat  doubtfully  in  our  camp, 
seeing  that  he  did  not  keep  a  long  face,  but  was  ready  with 
a  jest  and  a  laugh  with  high  and  low,  and  that  he  did  not 


TAKING  THE   FIELD  89 

affect  the  soberness  of  costume  favoured  by  our  party;  but 
that  soon  passed  off  when  it  was  seen  how  zealous  he  was  in 
the  cause;  how  ready  to  share  in  any  dangerous  business, 
while  he  set  an  example  to  all  by  the  cheerfulness  with  which 
he  bore  fatigue  and  hardship.  Next  to  the  Admiral  himself 
and  his  brother  D'Andelot  there  was  no  officer  more  highly 
thought  of  by  the  troops.  This  is  certainly  a  bold  enterprise 
that  he  has  undertaken  now,  if  it  be  true  what  I  have  heard 
since  we  halted  that  we  are  going  to  make  a  dash  at  Orleans. 
It  is  a  big  city  for  two  hundred  men  to  capture,  even  though 
no  doubt  we  have  numbers  of  friends  within  the  walls." 

"All  the  more  glory  and  credit  to  us,  Montpace,"  Frangois 
said  gaily.  "Why,  the  news  that  Orleans  is  captured  will 
send  a  thrill  through  France,  and  will  everywhere  encourage 
our  friends  to  rise  against  our  oppressors.  We  are  sure  to 
take  them  by  surprise,  for  they  will  believe  that  all  the  Hu- 
guenots in  this  part  of  France  are  hastening  to  join  the  Prince 
before  Paris." 

At  four  o'clock  the  party  got  in  motion  again,  and  an  hour 
after  dark  entered  a  little  village  among  the  hills  about  five 
miles  north  of  the  town.  De  la  Nolie  at  once  placed  a  cor- 
don of  sentries,  with  orders  that  neither  man,  woman,  nor 
child  was  to  be  allowed  to  leave  it.  Orders  were  issued  to 
the  startled  peasants  that  all  were  to  keep  within  their  doors 
at  the  peril  of  their  lives.  The  horses  were  picketed  in  the 
street,  and  the  soldiers  stowed  in  barns;  trusses  of  straw  were 
strewn  round  a  fire  for  La  Noiie  and  the  gentlemen  who  fol- 
lowed him.  At  eight  o'clock  two  videttes  thrown  forward 
some  distance  along  the  road  rode  in  with  a  horseman.  It  was 
the  Master  of  Grelot,  who,  as  he  rode  up  to  the  fire,  was 
heartily  greeted  by  the  Count. 

"I  am  glad  to  find  you  here,  Count,"  he  said;  "I  knew  you 
to  be  a  man  of  your  word,  but  in  warfare  things  often  occur 
to  upset  the  best  calculations." 

"Is  everything  going  on  well  at  Orleans?"  De  la  Noiie 
asked. 

"  Everything.  I  have  made  all  my  arrangements.  A  party 
of  five-and-twenty  men  I  can  depend  on  will  to-morrow  morn- 
ing at  seven  o'clock  gather  near  the  gate  this  side  of  the  town. 


90  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

They  will  come  up  in  twos  and  threes,  and  just  as  the  guard 
are  occupied  in  unbarring  the  gate  they  will  fall  upon  them. 
The  guard  is  fifteen  strong,  and  as  they  will  be  taken  by  sur- 
prise they  will  be  able  to  offer  but  a  faint  resistance.  Of 
course  you  with  your  troop  will  be  lying  in  readiness  near. 
As  soon  as  they  have  taken  possession  of  the  gateway  the 
party  will  issue  out  and  wave  a  white  flag  as  a  signal  to  you 
that  all  is  clear,  and  you  will  be  in  before  the  news  that  the 
gateway  has  been  seized  can  spread.  After  that  you  will  know 
what  to  do.  In  addition  to  the  men  who  are  to  carry  out  the 
enterprise  you  will  shortly  be  joined  by  many  others.  Word 
has  been  sent  round  to  our  partisans  that  they  may  speedily 
expect  deliverance,  and  bidding  them  be  prepared  whenever 
they  are  called  upon  to  take  up  their  arms  and  join  those  who 
come  to  free  them. 

"A  large  number  of  the  town-folk  are  secretly  either  wholly 
with  us  or  well  disposed  towards  us,  and  although  some  will 
doubtless  take  up  arms  on  the  other  side,  I  think  that  with 
the  advantage  of  the  surprise  and  with  such  assistance  as  our 
party  can  give  you,  there  is  every  chance  of  bringing  the 
enterprise  to  a  successful  issue.  One  of  our  friends,  who  has 
a  residence  within  a  bow-shot  of  the  gates,  has  arranged  with 
me  that  your  troop,  arriving  there  before  daylight,  shall  at 
once  enter  his  grounds,  where  they  will  be  concealed  from  the 
sight  of  any  country  people  going  towards  the  city. 

"  From  the  upper  windows  the  signal  can  be  seen,  and  if 
you  are  mounted  and  ready  you  can  be  there  in  three  or  four 
minutes,  and  it  will  take  longer  than  that  before  the  alarm  can 
spread,  and  the  Catholics  muster  strongly  enough  to  recapture 
the  gate." 

"Admirably  arranged,"  the  Count  said  warmly.  "With  a 
plan  so  well  laid  our  scheme  can  hardly  fail  of  success.  If 
we  only  do  our  part  as  well  as  you  have  done  yours,  Orleans 
is  as  good  as  won.  Now,  gentlemen,  I  advise  you  to  toss  off 
one  more  goblet  of  wine,  and  then  to  wrap  yourselves  up  in 
your  cloaks  for  a  few  hours'  sleep.  We- must  be  in  the  saddle 
soon  after  four,  so  as  to  be  off  the  road  by  five." 

At  that  hour  the  troop  led  by  the  Master  of  Grelot  turned 
in  at  the  gate  of  the  chateau.  The  owner  was  awaiting  them, 


TAKING  THE   FIELD  91 

and  gave  them  a  cordial  welcome.  The  men  were  ordered  to 
dismount  and  stand  by  their  horses,  while  the  leaders  fol- 
lowed their  host  into  the  house,  where  a  repast  had  been  laid 
out  for  them,  while  some  servitors  took  out  baskets  of  bread 
and  flagons  of  wine  to  the  troopers. 

At  half-past  six  groups  of  countrymen  were  seen  making 
their  way  along  the  road  towards  the  gate,  and  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  later  the  troop  mounted  and  formed  up  in  readiness  to 
issue  out  as  soon  as  the  signal  was  given,  their  host  placing 
himself  at  an  upper  window  whence  he  could  obtain  a  view  of 
the  city  gate.  It  was  just  seven  when  he  called  out  "The 
gate  is  opening!"  and  immediately  afterwards,  "They  have 
begun  the  work.  The  country"  people  outside  are  running 
away  in  a  panic.  Ah!  there  is  the  white  flag."  Two  servi- 
tors at  the  gate  of  the  chateau  threw  it  open,  and  headed  by 
La  Notie  and  the  gentlemen  of  the  party  they  issued  out  and 
galloped  down  the  road  at  full  speed.  As  they  approached 
the  gate  some  men  ran  out  waving  their  caps  and  swords. 

"  Well  done ! "  La  Nolle  exclaimed  as  he  rode  up.  "  Now, 
scatter  and  call  out  all  our  friends  to  aid  us  in  the  capture." 

The  troop  had  already  been  divided  into  four  parties,  each 
led  by  gentlemen  familiar  with  the  town.  Francois  and 
Philip,  with  the  men  from  Laville,  formed  the  party  led  by 
the  Count  himself.  The  news  of  the  tumult  at  the  gate  had 
spread,  and  just  as  they  reached  the  market-place  a  body  of 
horsemen  equal  in  strength  to  their  own  rode  towards  them. 

"For  God  and  the  religion!"  La  Noiie  shouted  as  be  led 
the  charge.  Ignorant  of  the  strength  of  their  assailants,  and 
having  mounted  in  haste  at  the  first  alarm,  the  opposing  band 
hesitated,  and  before  they  could  set  their  horses  into  a  gallop 
the  Huguenots  were  upon  them. 

The  impetus  of  the  charge  was  irresistible.  Men  and  horses 
rolled  over,  while  those  in  the  rear  turned  and  rode  away,  and 
the  combat  was  over  before  scarce  a  blow  had  been  struck. 
A  party  of  infantry  hastening  up  were  next  encountered;  these 
offered  a  more  stubborn  resistance,  but  threw  down  their  arms 
and  surrendered  when  another  of  the  Huguenot  parties  rode 
into  the  square.  At  the  sound  of  the  conflict  the  upper  win- 
dows of  the  houses  were  opened,  and  the  citizens  looked  out 


92  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

in  alarm  at  the  struggle.  But  the  Catholics  having  neither 
orders  nor  plan  dared  not  venture  out,  while  the  Huguenots 
mustered  rapidly  with  arms  in  their  hands,  and  rendered  val- 
uable assistance  to  the  horsemen  in  attacking  and  putting  to 
flight  the  parties  of  Catholic  horse  and  foot  as  they  came 
hurriedly  up. 

In  an  hour  all  resistance  had  ceased  and  Orleans  was  taken. 
The  Count  at  once  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  citizens  assur- 
ing all  peaceable  persons  of  protection,  and  guaranteeing  to 
the  citizens  immunity  from  all  interference  with  personal 
property  and  the  right  of  full  exercise  of  their  religion. 
The  charge  of  the  gates  was  given  over  to  the  Huguenot  citi- 
zens, parties  of  horse  were  told  off  to  patrol  the  streets  to  see 
that  order  was  preserved,  and  to  arrest  any  using  threats  or 
violence  to  the  citizens,  and  in  a  very  few  hours  the  town  re- 
sumed its  usual  appearance.  Now  that  all  fear  of  persecution 
was  at  an  end,  large  numbers  of  the  citizens  who  had  hitherto 
concealed  their  leanings  towards  the  new  religion  openly 
avowed  them,  and  La  Nolle  saw  with  satisfaction  that  the  town 
could  be  safely  left  to  the  keeping  of  the  Huguenot  adherents 
with  the  assistance  only  of  a  few  men  to  act  as  leaders.  These 
he  selected  from  the  gentlemen  of  the  province  who  had  come 
with  him,  and  as  soon  as  these  had  entered  upon  their  duties 
he  felt  free  to  turn  his  attention  elsewhere. 

Two  days  were  spent  in  appointing  a  council  of  the  leading 
citizens,  the  Huguenots  of  course  being  in  the  majority.  To 
them  was  intrusted  the  management  of  the  affairs  of  the  town 
and  the  maintenance  of  order.  The  young  nobleman  ap- 
pointed as  governor  was  to  have  entire  charge  of  military 
matters;  all  Huguenots  capable  of  bearing  arms  were  to  be 
formed  up  in  companies,  each  of  which  was  to  appoint  its 
own  officers.  They  were  to  practise  military  exercises,  to 
have  charge  of  the  gates  and  walls,  and  to  be  prepared  to 
defend  them  in  case  a  hostile  force  should  lay  siege  to  the 
city.  Three  of  the  nobles  were  appointed  to  see  to  the  vict- 
ualling of  the  town;  and  all  citizens  were  called  upon  to  con- 
tribute a  sum  according  to  their  means  for  this  purpose.  A 
few  old  soldiers  were  left  to  drill  the  new  levies,  to  see  that 
the  walls  were  placed  in  a  thorough  condition  of  defence,  and 


TAKING   THE   FIELD  93 

above  all  to  aid  the  leaders  in  suppressing  any  attempt  at  the 
ill-treatment  of  Catholics,  or  the  desecration  of  their  churches 
by  the  Huguenot  portion  of  the  population.  When  all 
arrangements  were  made  for  the  peace  and  safety  of  the  town, 
De  la  Noiie  despatched  most  of  the  gentlemen  with  him  and 
their  followers  to  join  the  Prince  of  Cond£  before  Paris, 
retaining  only  his  Cousin  Francois,  Philip,  the  troop  from 
Laville,  and  his  own  band  of  forty  men-at-arms. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE   BATTLE   OF   ST.    DENIS 

DE  LAVILLE  and  Philip  had  fought  by  the 
side  of  La  Noiie  in  the  engagement  in  the  streets  of 
Orleans,  but  had  seen  little  of  the  Count  afterwards,  his  time 
being  fully  employed  in  completing  the  various  arrangements 
to  ensure  the  safety  of  the  town.  They  had  been  lodged  in 
the  house  of  one  of  the  Huguenot  citizens,  and  had  spent 
their  time  walking  about  the  town  or  in  the  society  of  some  of 
the  younger  gentlemen  of  their  party. 

"Are  you  both  ready  for  service  again?"  the  Count  de  la 
Nolle,  who  had  sent  for  them  to  come  to  his  lodgings,  asked 
on  the  evening  of  the  third  day  after  the  capture  of  Orleans. 

"Quite  ready,"  Francois  replied.  "The  horses  have  all 
recovered  from  their  fatigue,  and  are  in  condition  for  a  fresh 
start.  Are  we  bound  for  Paris,  may  I  ask?  " 

"No,  Francois,  we  are  going  on  a  recruiting  tour:  partly 
because  we  want  men,  but  more  to  encourage  our  people  by 
the  sight  of  an  armed  party,  and  to  show  the  Catholics  that 
they  had  best  stay  their  hands  and  leave  us  alone  for  the 
present.  I  take  a  hundred  men  with  me,  including  your  troop 
and  my  own,  which  I  hope  largely  to  increase.  Sometimes 
we  shall  keep  in  a  body,  sometimes  break  up  into  two  or  three 
parties.  Always  we  shall  move  rapidly,  so  as  to  appear  where 
least  expected,  and  so  spread  uneasiness  as  to  where  we  may 
next  appear.  In  the  south  we  are,  as  I  hear,  holding  our  own. 
I  shall  therefore  go  first  to  Brittany,  and  if  all  is  quiet,  there 
raise  another  fifty  men.  We  shall  travel  through  Touraine  and 


THE    BATTLE    OF   ST.    DENIS  9ft1 

Anjou  as  we  go,  and  then  sweep  round  by  Normandy  and  La 
Perche,  and  so  up  to  Paris.  So  you  see  we  shall  put  a  good 
many  miles  of  ground  under  our  feet  before  we  join  the 
Prince.  In  that  way  not  only  shall  we  swell  our  numbers  and 
encourage  our  friends,  but  we  shall  deter  many  of  the  Catholic 
gentry  from  sending  their  retainers  to  join  the  army  of  the 
Guises." 

"It  will  be  a  pleasant  ride,  cousin,"  Francois  said,  "and  I 
hope  that  we  shall  have  an  opportunity  of  doing  some  good 
work  before  we  reach  Paris,  and  especially  that  we  shall  not 
arrive  there  too  late  to  join  in  the  coming  battle." 

"I  do  not  think  that  there  is  much  fear  of  that,"  the  Count 
replied;  "the  Prince  has  not  sufficient  strength  to  attack  Paris. 
And  for  my  part,  I  think  that  it  would  have  been  far  better, 
when  it  was  found  that  his  plan  of  seizing  the  court  had  failed, 
to  have  drawn  off  at  once.  He  can  do  nothing  against  Paris, 
and  his  presence  before  it  will  only  incite  the  inhabitants 
against  us  and  increase  their  animosity.  It  would  have  been 
better  to  have  applied  the  force  in  reducing  several  strong 
towns  where,  as  at  Orleans,  the  bulk  of  the  inhabitants  are 
favourable  to  us.  In  this  way  we  should  weaken  the  enemy, 
strengthen  ourselves,  and  provide  places  of  refuge  for  our  peo- 
ple in  case  of  need.  However,  it  is  too  late  for  such  regrets; 
the  Prince  is  there,  and  we  must  take  him  what  succour  we 
can.  I  was  pleased  with  you  both  in  the  rights  upon  the  day 
we  entered.  You  both  behaved  like  brave  gentlemen  and  good 
swordsmen.  I  expected  no  less  from  you,  Francois;  but  I 
was  surprised  to  find  your  English  cousin  so  skilled  with  his 
weapon." 

"He  is  a  better  swordsman  than  I  am,"  Francois  said; 
"which  is  a  shame  to  me,  since  he  is  two  years  my  junior." 

"  Is  he  indeed !  "  the  Count  said  in  surprise.  "  I  had  taken 
him  to  be  at  least  your  equal  in  years.  Let  me  think,  you  are 
but  eighteen  and  some  months?  " 

"But  a  month  over  eighteen,"  Francois  said,  "and  Philip 
has  but  just  passed  sixteen." 

"  You  will  make  a  doughty  warrior  when  you  attain  your  full 
strength,  Philip.  I  saw  you  put  aside  a  thrust  from  an  officer 
in  the  melee,  and  strike  him  from  his  horse  with  a  backhanded 


96  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

cut  with  your  sword,  dealt  with  a  vigour  that  left  nothing  to  be 
desired." 

"I  know  that  I  am  too  fond  of  using  the  edge,  sir,"  Philip 
said  modestly;  "my  English  masters  taught  me  to  do  so,  and 
although  my  French  instructors  at  home  were  always  impress- 
ing upon  me  that  the  point  was  more  deadly  than  the  edge, 
I  cannot  break  myself  altogether  from  the  habit." 

"There  is  no  need  to  do  so,"  the  Count  said.  "Of  late  the 
point  has  come  into  fashion  among  us,  and  doubtless  it  has 
advantages,  but  often  a  downright  blow  will  fetch  a  man  from 
his  saddle  when  you  would  in  vain  try  to  find  with  the  point  a 
joint  in  his  armour.  But  you  must  have  been  well  taught 
indeed  if  you  are  a  better  swordsman  than  my  cousin,  whose 
powers  I  have  tried  at  Laville,  and  found  him  to  be  an  excel- 
lent swordsman  for  his  age." 

"  I  have  had  many  masters, "  Philip  said.  "  Both  my  French 
and  English  teachers  were  good  swordsmen,  and  it  was  seldom 
a  Frenchman  who  had  been  in  the  wars  passed  through  Canter- 
bury that  my  uncle  did  not  engage  him  to  give  me  a  few 
lessons.  Thus,  being  myself  very  anxious  to  become  a  good 
swordsman,  and  being  fond  of  exercises,  I  naturally  picked  up 
a  great  many  tricks  with  the  sword. " 

"  You  could  not  have  spent  your  time  better  if  you  had  an 
intention  of  coming  over  to  take  part  in  our  troubles  here. 
Your  grandfather,  De  Moulins,  was  said  to  be  one  of  the  best 
swordsmen  in  France,  and  you  may  have  inherited  some  of  his 
skill.  I  own  that  I  felt  rather  uneasy  at  the  charge  of  two  such 
young  cockerels,  though  I  could  not  refuse  when  the  countess, 
my  aunt,  begged  me  to  let  you  ride  with  me;  but  in  future  I 
shall  feel  easy  about  you,  seeing  that  you  can  both  take  your 
own  parts  stoutly.  Well,  order  your  men  to  be  ready  and 
mounted  in  the  market-place  at  half-past  five.  The  west  gate 
will  be  opened  for  us  to  ride  forth  at  six." 

Philip  had  every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  the  conduct  of 
his  new  servant.  In  the  town,  as  at  Laville,  Pierre  behaved 
circumspectly  and  quietly,  assuming  a  grave  countenance  in 
accordance  with  his  surroundings;  keeping  his  arms  and 
armour  brightly  polished,  and  waiting  at  table  as  orderly  as  if 
he  had  been  used  to  nothing  else  all  his  life. 


THE   BATTLE   OF  ST.   DENIS  97 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  sir,"  Pierre  said,  when  Philip  informed 
him  that  they  would  start  on  the  following  morning.  "  I  love 
not  towns,  and  here,  where  there  is  nought  to  do  but  to  polish 
your  armour  and  stand  behind  your  chair  at  dinner,  the  time 
goes  mighty  heavily." 

"  You  will  have  no  cause  to  grumble  on  that  account,  Pierre, 
I  fancy,  for  your  ride  will  be  a  long  one.  I  do  not  expect  we 
shall  often  have  a  roof  over  our  heads." 

"  All  the  better,  sir,  so  long  as  the  ride  finishes  before  the 
cold  weather  sets  in.  Fond  as  I  am  of  sleeping  with  the  stars 
over  me,  I  own  that  when  the  snow  is  on  the  ground  I  prefer 
a  roof  over  my  head." 

At  six  o'clock  the  party  started;  only  two  other  gentlemen 
rode  with  it,  both  of  whom  were,  like  the  Count,  from  Brittany. 
The  little  group  chatted  gaily  as  they  rode  along.  Unless  they 
happened  to  encounter  parties  of  Catholics  going  north  to  join 
the  royal  army,  there  was,  so  far  as  they  knew,  no  chance  of 
their  meeting  any  body  of  the  enemy,  on  their  westward  ride. 
The  towns  of  Vendome,  Le  Mans,  and  Laval  were  all  strongly 
Catholic  and  devoted  to  the  Guises.  These  must  be  skirted. 
Rennes  in  Brittany  must  also  be  avoided,  for  all  these  towns 
were  strongly  garrisoned,  and  could  turn  out  a  force  far  too 
strong  for  La  Noiie  to  cope  with. 

Upon  the  march  Pierre  was  not  only  an  invaluable  servant 
but  the  life  of  the  troop,  he  being  full  of  fun  and  frolic,  and 
making  even  the  gravest  soldier  smile  at  his  sallies.  When 
they  halted  he  was  indefatigable  in  seeing  after  Philip's  com- 
forts :  he  cut  boughs  of  the  trees  best  suited  for  the  purpose 
of  making  a  couch,  and  surprised  his  master  and  Francois  by 
his  ingenuity  in  turning  out  excellent  dishes  from  the  scantiest 
materials.  He  would  steal  away  in  the  night  to  procure  fowls 
and  eggs  from  neighbouring  farmhouses,  and  although  Philip's 
orders  were  that  he  was  to  pay  the  full  price  for  everything  he 
required,  Philip  found  when  he  gave  an  account  a  fortnight 
later  of  how  he  had  spent  the  money  he  had  given  him,  that 
there  was  no  mention  of  any  payment  for  these  articles. 
When  he  rated  Pierre  for  this  the  latter  replied : 

"  I  did  not  pay  for  them,  sir.  Not  in  order  to  save  you 
money,  but  for  the  sake  of  the  farmers  and  their  families.  It 


98  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

would  have  been  worse  than  cruelty  to  have  aroused  them  from 
sleep.  The  loss  of  a  fowl  or  two  and  of  a  dozen  eggs  were 
nothing  to  them;  if  they  missed  them  at  all  they  would  say 
that  a  fox  had  been  there,  and  they  would  think  no  more  of  it. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  I  had  waked  them  up  in  the  middle  of  the 
night  to  pay  for  these  trifles  they  would  have  been  scared  out 
of  their  life,  thinking  when  I  knocked  that  some  band  of 
robbers  was  at  the  door.  In  their  anger  at  being  thus  dis- 
turbed they  would  have  been  capable  of  shooting  me,  and  it  is 
well-nigh  certain  that  at  any  rate  they  would  have  refused  to 
sell  their  chickens  and  eggs  at  that  time  of  the  night.  So  you 
see,  sir,  I  acted  for  the  best  for  all  parties.  Two  chickens  out 
of  scores  was  a  loss  not  worth  thinking  of,  while  the  women 
escaped  the  panic  and  terror  that  my  waking  them  up  would 
have  caused  them.  When  I  can  pay  I  will  assuredly  do  so, 
since  that  is  your  desire;  but  I  am  sure  you  will  see  that  under 
such  circumstances  it  would  be  a  crime  to  wake  people  from 
their  sleep  for  the  sake  of  a  few  sous." 

Philip  laughed. 

"Besides,  sir,"  Pierre  went  on,  "these  people  were  either 
Huguenots  or  Catholics.  If  they  were  Huguenots  they  would 
be  right  glad  to  minister  to  those  who  are  fighting  on  their 
behalf;  if  they  were  Catholics  they  would  rob  and  murder  us 
without  mercy.  Therefore  they  may  think  themselves  fortu- 
nate indeed  to  escape  at  so  trifling  a  cost  from  the  punishment 
they  deserve." 

"That  is  all  very  well,  Pierre;  but  the  orders  are  strict 
against  plundering,  and  if  the  Admiral  were  to  catch  you  you 
would  get  a  sound  thrashing  with  a  stirrup-leather." 

"  I  have  risked  worse  than  that,  sir,  many  times  in  my  life, 
and  if  I  am  caught  I  will  give  them  leave  to  use  the  strap. 
But  you  will  see,  Monsieur  Philip,  that  if  the  war  goes  on  these 
niceties  will  soon  become  out  of  fashion.  At  present  the 
Huguenot  lords  and  gentlemen  have  money  in  their  pockets  to 
pay  for  what  they  want,  but  after  a  time  money  will  become 
scarce.  They  will  see  that  the  armies  of  the  king  live  on 
plunder  as  armies  generally  do,  and  when  cash  runs  short  they 
will  have  to  shut  their  eyes  and  let  the  men  provide  themselves 
as  best  they  can." 


THE   BATTLE   OF   ST.    DENIS  99 

"I  hope  the  war  won't  last  long  enough  for  that,  Pierre. 
But  at  any  rate  we  have  money  in  our  pockets  at  present,  and 
can  pay  for  what  we  require ;  though  I  do  not  pretend  that  it 
is  a  serious  matter  to  take  a  hen  out  of  a  coop,  especially  when 
you  can't  get  it  otherwise,  without,  as  you  say,  alarming  a 
whole  family.  However,  remember  my  orders  are  that  every- 
thing we  want  is  to  be  paid  for." 

"  I  understand,  sir,  and  you  will  see  that  the  next  time  we 
reckon  up  accounts  every  item  shall  be  charged  for,  so  that 
there  will  be  nothing  on  your  conscience." 

Philip  laughed  again.  "I  shall  be  content  if  that  is  the 
case,  Pierre,  and  I  hope  that  your  conscience  will  be  as  clear 
as  mine  will  be." 

On  the  third  of  November,  just  a  month  after  leaving  Orleans, 
De  la  Noiie  with  his  troop  augmented  to  three  hundred  joined 
the  Prince  of  Cond£  before  Paris.  During  the  interval  he  had 
traversed  the  west  of  France  by  the  route  he  had  marked  out 
for  himself,  had  raised  fifty  more  men  among  the  Huguenots 
of  Brittany,  and  had  been  joined  on  the  route  by  many  gentle- 
men with  parties  of  their  retainers.  Several  bodies  of  Catho- 
lics had  been  met  and  dispersed.  Two  or  three  small  towns 
where  the  Huguenots  had  been  ill-treated  and  massacred  were 
entered,  the  ringleaders  in  the  persecutions  had  been  hung, 
and  the  authorities  had  been  compelled  to  pay  a  heavy  fine, 
under  threat  of  the  whole  town  being  committed  to  the  flames. 

Everywhere  he  passed  La  Noiie  had  caused  proclamations 
to  be  scattered  far  and  wide  to  the  effect  that  any  ill-treatment 
of  Huguenots  would  be  followed  by  his  return,  and  by  the 
heaviest  punishment  being  inflicted  upon  all  who  molested 
them.  And  so,  having  given  great  encouragement  to  the 
Huguenots  and  scattered  terror  among  their  persecutors,  hav- 
ing ridden  great  distances  and  astonished  the  people  of  the 
western  provinces  by  his  energy  and  activity,  La  Noiie  joined 
the  Prince  of  Conde"  with  three  hundred  men.  He  was 
heartily  welcomed  on  his  arrival  at  the  Huguenot  camp  at  St. 
Denis. 

Francois  de  Laville  and  Philip  Fletcher  had  thoroughly 
enjoyed  the  expedition.  They  had  often  been  in  the  saddle 
from  early  morning  till  late  at  night,  and  had  felt  the  benefit 


100  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

of  having  each  two  horses,  as  when  the  party  halted  for  a  day 
or  two  they  were  often  sent  out  with  half  their  troop  to  visit 
distant  places  to  see  friends,  to  bring  into  the  camp  magis- 
trates and  others  who  had  been  foremost  in  stirring  up  the 
people  to  attack  the  Huguenots,  to  enter  small  towns,  throw 
open  prisons  and  carry  off  the  Huguenots  confined  there,  and 
occasionally  to  hang  the  leaders  of  local  massacres.  In  these 
cases  they  were  always  accompanied  by  one  or  other  of  the 
older  leaders  in  command  of  the  party. 

Their  spare  chargers  enabled  them  to  be  on  horseback  every 
day,  while  half  the  troop  rested  in  turn.  Sometimes  their  halts 
were  made  in  small  towns  and  villages,  but  more  often  they 
bivouacked  in  the  open  country;  being  thus,  the  Count  con- 
sidered, more  watchful  and  less  apt  to  be  surprised.  On  their 
return  from  these  expeditions  Pierre  always  had  a  meal  pre- 
pared for  them.  In  addition  to  the  rations  of  meat  and  bread, 
chicken  and  eggs,  he  often  contrived  to  serve  up  other  and 
daintier  food.  His  old  poaching  habits  were  not  forgotten. 
As  soon  as  the  camp  was  formed  he  would  go  out  and  set 
snares  for  hares,  traps  for  birds,  and  lay  lines  in  the  nearest 
stream,  while  fish  and  game  of  some  sort  were  generally  added 
to  the  fare. 

"Upon  my  word,"  the  Count,  who  sometimes  rode  with 
them,  said  one  evening,  "  this  varlet  of  yours,  Master  Philip, 
is  an  invaluable  fellow,  and  Conde"  himself  cannot  be  better 
served  than  you  are.  I  have  half  a  mind  to  take  him  away 
from  you,  and  to  appoint  him  Provider-in-General  to  our 
camp.  I  warrant  me  he  never  learned  thus  to  provide  a  table 
honestly;  he  must  have  all  the  tricks  of  a  poacher  at  his 
fingers'  end." 

"  I  fancy  when  he  was  young  he  had  to  shift  a  good  deal  for 
himself,  sir,"  Philip  replied. 

"I  thought  so,"  La  Noiie  laughed.  "I  marked  him  once 
or  twice  behind  your  chair  at  Orleans,  and  methought  then 
that  he  looked  too  grave  to  be  honest;  and  there  was  a  twinkle 
in  his  eye  that  accorded  badly  with  the  gravity  of  his  face  and 
his  sober  attire.  Well,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  in  war  a 
man  who  has  a  spice  of  the  rogue  in  him  makes  the  best  of 
servants,  provided  he  is  but  faithful  to  his  master  and  respects 


THE   BATTLE   OF   ST.   DENIS  101 

his  goods,  if  he  does  those  of  no  one  else.  Your  rogue  is 
necessarily  a  man  of  resources,  and  one  of  that  kind  will  on  a 
campaign  make  his  master  comfortable  where  one  with  an 
over-scrupulous  varlet  will  well-nigh  starve.  I  had  such  a 
man  when  I  was  with  Brissac  in  Northern  Italy,  but  one  day 
he  went  out  and  never  returned.  Whether  a  provost-marshal 
did  me  the  ill  service  of  hanging  him,  or  whether  he  was  shot 
by  the  peasants,  I  never  knew,  but  I  missed  him  sorely,  and 
often  went  fasting  to  bed  when  I  should  have  had  a  good 
supper  had  he  been  with  me.  It  is  lucky  for  you  both  that 
you  haven't  to  depend  upon  that  grim-visaged  varlet  of  Fran- 
$ois'.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  countess  thought  she  was 
doing  well  by  my  cousin  when  she  appointed  him  to  go  with 
him,  and  I  can  believe  that  he  would  give  his  life  for  him,  but 
for  all  that  if  you  had  to  depend  upon  him  for  your  meals  you 
would  fare  badly  indeed." 

De  la  Nolle  was  much  disappointed  on  joining  the  Prince  at 
finding  that  the  latter 's  force  had  not  swollen  to  larger  dimen- 
sions. He  had  with  him,  after  the  arrival  of  the  force  the 
Count  had  brought  from  the  west,  but  two  thousand  horse. 
Of  these  a  large  proportion  were  gentlemen,  attended  only  by 
a  few  personal  retainers;  a  fifth  only  were  provided  with 
lances,  and  a  large  number  had  no  defensive  armour.  Of  foot 
soldiers  he  had  about  the  same  number  as  of  horse,  and  of 
these  about  half  were  armed  with  arquebuses,  the  rest  being 
pikemen.  The  force  under  the  command  of  the  Constable  de 
Montmorency  inside  the  walls  of  Paris  was  known  to  be  enor- 
mously superior  in  strength,  and  the  Huguenots  were  unable  to 
understand  why  he  did  not  come  out  to  give  them  battle. 
They  knew,  however,  that  Count  Aremberg  was  on  his  way 
from  the  Netherlands  with  seventeen  hundred  horse,  sent  by 
the  Duke  of  Alva  to  the  support  of  the  Catholics,  and  they 
supposed  that  Montmorency  was  waiting  for  this  reinforcement. 

On  the  Qth  of  November  news  arrived  that  Aremberg  was 
approaching,  and  D'Andelot,  with  five  hundred  horse  and 
eight  hundred  of  the  best-trained  arquebusiers,  was  despatched 
to  seize  Poissy,  and  so  prevent  Aremberg  entering  Paris. 
The  next  morning  the  Constable,  learning  that  Conde"  had 
weakened  his  army  by  this  detachment,  marched  out  from 


102  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Paris.  Seldom  have  two  European  armies  met  with  a  greater 
disparity  of  numbers,  for  while  Conde"  had  but  fifteen  hundred 
horse  and  twelve  hundred  foot,  the  Constable  marched  out 
with  sixteen  thousand  infantry,  of  whom  six  thousand  were 
Swiss,  and  three  thousand  horse.  He  had  eighteen  pieces  of 
artillery,  while  Conde"  was  without  a  single  cannon.  As  soon 
as  this  force  was  seen  pouring  out  from  the  gates  of  Paris  the 
Huguenot  trumpets  blew  to  arms.  All  wore  over  their  coats 
or  armour  a  white  scarf,  the  distinguishing  badge  of  the 
Huguenots,  and  the  horsemen  were  divided  into  three  bodies. 
De  la  Noiie  and  his  following  formed  part  of  that  under  the 
personal  command  of  Conde". 

"We  longed  to  be  here  in  time  for  this  battle,  Philip," 
Francois  said,  "  but  I  think  this  is  rather  more  than  we  bar- 
gained for.  They  must  be  nearly  ten  to  one  against  us. 
There  is  one  thing,  although  the  Swiss  are  good  soldiers,  the 
rest  of  their  infantry  are  for  the  most  part  Parisians,  and 
though  these  gentry  have  proved  themselves  very  valiant  in 
the  massacre  of  unarmed  Huguenot  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, I  have  no  belief  in  their  valour  when  they  have  to  meet 
men  with  swords  in  their  hands.  I  would,  however,  that 
D'Andelot  with  his  five  hundred  horse  and  eight  hundred 
arquebusiers,  all  picked  men,  were  here  with  us,  even  if 
Aremberg  with  his  seventeen  hundred  horse  were  ranged 
under  the  Constable.  As  it  is  I  can  hardly  believe  that  Conde" 
and  the  Admiral  will  really  lead  us  against  that  huge  mass. 
I  should  think  that  they  can  but  be  going  to  manoeuvre  so  as 
to  fall  back  in  good  order  and  show  a  firm  face  to  the  enemy. 
Their  footmen  would  then  be  of  no  use  to  them,  and  as  I  do 
not  think  their  horse  are  more  than  twice  our  strength,  we 
might  turn  upon  them  when  we  get  them  away  from  their 
infantry,  and  beyond  the  range  of  their  cannon." 

As  soon,  however,  as  the  troops  were  fairly  beyond  the 
gates  of  St.  Denis  the  leaders  placed  themselves  at  the  head 
of  the  three  columns,  and  with  a  few  inspiring  words  led  them 
forward.  Coligny  was  on  the  right,  La  Rochefoucauld, 
Genlis,  and  other  leaders  on  the  left,  and  the  column  com- 
manded by  Conde"  himself  in  the  centre.  Conde",  with  a 
number  of  nobles  and  gentlemen,  rode  in  front  of  the  line. 


THE   BATTLE   OF  ST.   DENIS  103 

Behind  them  came  the  men-at-arms  with  lances,  while  those 
armed  only  with  swords  and  pistols  followed.  Coligny,  on 
the  right,  was  most  advanced,  and  commenced  the  battle  by 
charging  furiously  down  upon  the  enemy's  left.  Facing 
Conde"  were  the  great  mass  of  the  Catholic  infantry,  but  with- 
out a  moment's  hesitation  the  little  band  of  but  five  hundred 
horse  charged  right  down  upon  them.  Fortunately  for  them 
it  was  the  Parisians  and  not  the  Swiss  upon  whom  their  assault 
fell.  The  force  and  impetus  of  their  rush  was  too  much  for 
the  Parisians,  who  broke  at  the  onset,  threw  away  their  arms, 
and  fled  in  a  disorderly  mob  towards  the  gates  of  Paris. 

"Never  mind  those  cowards,"  the  Prince  shouted,  "there 
is  nobler  game ;"  and  followed  by  his  troop  he  rode  at  the 
Constable,  who,  with  a  thousand  horse,  had  taken  his  post 
behind  the  infantry.  Before  this  body  of  cavalry  could  ad- 
vance to  meet  the  Huguenots  the  latter  were  among  them,  and 
a  desperate  hand-to-hand  melee  took  place.  Gradually  the 
Huguenots  won  their  way  into  the  mass,  although  the  old 
Constable,  fighting  as  stoutly  as  the  youngest  soldier,  was 
setting  a  splendid  example  to  his  troops.  Robert  Stuart,  a 
Scotch  gentleman  in  Condi's  train,  fought  his  way  up  to  him 
and  demanded  his  surrender.  The  Constable's  reply  was  a 
blow  with  the  hilt  of  the  sword  which  nearly  struck  Stuart  from 
his  horse,  knocking  out  three  of  his  teeth.  A  moment  later 
the  Constable  was  struck  by  a  pistol-ball,  but  whether  it  was 
fired  by  Stuart  himself  or  one  of  the  gentlemen  by  his  side 
was  never  known.  The  Constable  fell,  but  the  fight  still 
raged. 

The  Royalists,  recovered  from  the  first  shock,  were  now 
pressing  their  adversaries.  Condi's  horse  was  shot  by  a 
musket-ball,  and  in  falling  pinned  him  to  the  ground  so  that 
he  was  unable  to  extricate  himself.  De  la  Noiie,  followed  by 
Frangois  and  Philip,  who  were  fighting  by  his  side,  and  other 
gentlemen,  saw  his  peril,  and  rushing  forward  drove  back 
Condi's  assailants.  Two  gentlemen  leaping  from  their  horses 
extricated  the  Prince  from  his  fallen  steed,  and,  after  hard 
fighting,  placed  him  on  a  horse  before  one  of  them,  and  the 
troops,  repulsing  every  attack  made  on  them,  fell  slowly  back 
to  St.  Denis.  On  the  right  Coligny  had  more  than  held  his 


104  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

own  against  the  enemy,  but  on  the  left  the  Huguenots,  en- 
countering Marshal  de  Montmorency,  the  eldest  son  of  the 
Constable,  and  suffering  heavily  from  the  arquebus  and  artil- 
lery fire,  had  been  repulsed,  and  the  Catholics  here  had  gained 
considerable  advantages. 

The  flight  of  a  large  portion  of  the  infantry,  and  the  dis- 
order caused  in  the  cavalry  by  the  charges  of  Cond£  and 
Coligny,  prevented  the  Marshal  from  following  up  his  advan- 
tage, and  as  the  Huguenots  fell  back  upon  St.  Denis  the  Royal- 
ists retired  into  Paris,  where  the  wounded  Constable  had 
already  been  carried.  Victory  was  claimed  by  both  sides, 
but  belonged  to  neither.  Each  party  had  lost  about  four 
hundred  men,  a  matter  of  much  greater  consequence  to  the 
Huguenots  than  to  the  Catholics,  the  more  so  as  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  slain  on  their  side  were  gentlemen  of  rank. 
Upon  the  other  hand  the  loss  of  the  Constable,  who  died  next 
day,  paralysed  for  a  time  the  Catholic  forces. 

A  staunch  and  even  bigoted  Catholic,  and  opposed  to  any 
terms  of  toleration  being  granted  to  the  Huguenots,  he  was 
opposed  to  the  ambition  of  the  Guises,  and  was  the  head  of 
the  Royalist  party  as  distinguished  from  that  of  Lorraine. 
Catharine,  who  was  the  moving  spirit  of  the  court,  hesitated 
to  give  the  power  he  possessed  as  Constable  into  hands  that 
might  use  it  against  her,  and  persuaded  the  king  to  bestow  the 
supreme  command  of  the  army  upon  his  brother,  Henri,  Duke 
of  Anjou.  The  divisions  in  the  court  caused  by  the  death  of 
the  Constable,  and  the  question  of  his  successor,  prevented 
any  fresh  movements  of  the  army,  and  enabled  the  Prince  of 
Cond£,  after  being  rejoined  by  D'Andelot's  force,  to  retire 
unmolested  three  days  after  the  battle,  the  advanced  guard  of 
the  Royalists  having  been  driven  back  into  Paris  by  D'Ande- 
lot  on  his  return,  when  in  his  disappointment  at  being  absent 
from  the  battle  he  fell  fiercely  upon  the  enemy,  and  pursued 
them  hotly  to  the  gates,  burning  several  windmills  close  under 
the  walls. 

On  the  evening  of  the  battle  De  la  Noiie  had  presented  his 
cousin  and  Philip  to  the  Prince,  speaking  in  high  terms  of 
the  bravery  they  displayed  in  the  battle,  and  they  had  received 
Condi's  thanks  for  the  part  they  had  taken  in  his  rescue  from 


THE   BATTLE   OF  ST.   DENIS  105 

the  hands  of  the  Catholics.  The  Count  himself  had  praised 
them  highly,  but  had  gently  chided  Francois  for  the  rashness 
he  had  shown. 

"It  is  well  to  be  brave,  Francois;  but  that  is  not  enough. 
A  man  who  is  brave  without  being  prudent,  may  with  fortune 
escape  as  you  have  done  from  a  battle  without  serious  wounds, 
but  he  cannot  hope  for  such  fortune  many  times,  and  his  life 
v/ould  be  a  very  short  one.  Several  times  to-day  you  were 
some  lengths  ahead  of  me  in  the  melee,  and  once  or  twice  I 
thought  you  lost,  for  I  was  too  closely  pressed  myself  to  render 
you  assistance.  It  was  the  confusion  alone  that  saved  you. 
Your  life  is  a  valuable  one.  You  are  the  head  of  an  old  fam- 
ily, and  have  no  right  to  throw  your  life  away.  Nothing 
could  have  been  more  gallant  than  your  behaviour,  Francois, 
but  you  must  learn  to  temper  bravery  by  prudence.  Your 
cousin  showed  his  English  blood  and  breeding.  When  we 
charged  he  was  half  a  length  behind  me,  and  at  that  distance 
he  remained  through  the  fight,  except  when  I  was  very  hotly 
pressed,  when  he  at  once  closed  up  beside  me.  More  than 
once  I  glanced  round  at  him,  and  he  was  fighting  with  the 
coolness  of  a  veteran.  It  was  he  who  called  my  attention  to 
Conde's  fall,  which  in  the  melee  might  have  passed  unnoticed 
by  me  until  it  was  too  late  to  save  him.  He  kept  his  pistols 
in  his  holsters  throughout  the  fray,  and  it  was  only  when  they 
pressed  us  so  hotly  as  we  were  carrying  off  the  Prince  that  he 
used  them,  and,  as  I  observed,  with  effect.  I  doubt  if  there 
was  a  pistol  save  his  undischarged  at  that  time;  they  were  a 
reserve  that  he  maintained  for  the  crisis  of  the  fight.  Master 
Philip,  I  trust  that  you  will  have  but  small  opportunity  for 
winning  distinction  in  this  wretched  struggle,  but  were  it  to 
last,  which  heaven  forbid,  I  should  say  that  you  would  make 
a  name  for  yourself,  as  assuredly  will  my  cousin  Francois,  if 
he  were  to  temper  his  enthusiasm  with  coolness." 

The  evening  before  the  Huguenots  retired  from  St.  Denis 
the  Count  sent  for  Francois  and  his  cousin. 

"As  you  will  have  heard,"  he  said,  "we  retire  to-morrow 
morning.  We  have  done  all,  and  more  than  all,  that  could 
have  been  expected  from  such  a  force.  We  have  kept  Paris 
shut  up  for  ten  weeks,  and  have  maintained  our  position  in 


106  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

face  of  a  force,  commanded  by  the  Constable  of  France,  of 
well-nigh  tenfold  our  strength.  We  are  now  going  to  march 
east  to  effect  a  junction  with  a  force  under  Duke  Casimir. 
He  is  to  bring  us  over  six  thousand  horse,  three  thousand 
foot,  and  four  cannon.  The  march  will  be  toilsome,  but  the 
Admiral's  skill  will,  I  doubt  not,  enable  us  to  elude  the  force 
with  which  the  enemy  will  try  to  bar  our  way.  The  Admiral 
is  sending  off  the  Sieur  D'Arblay,  whom  you  both  know,  to 
the  south  of  France  in  order  that  he  may  explain  to  our 
friends  there  the  reason  for  our  movement  to  the  east,  for 
otherwise  the  news  that  we  have  broken  up  from  before  Paris 
may  cause  great  discouragement. 

"  I  have  proposed  to  him  that  you  should  both  accompany 
him.     You  have  frequently  ridden  under  his  orders  during  our 
expedition  to  the  west,  and  he  knows  your  qualities.     He  has 
gladly  consented  to  receive  you  as  his  companions.     It  will 
be  pleasant  for  him  to  have  two  gentlemen  with  him.     He 
takes  with  him  his  own  following  of  eight  men;  six  of  his 
band  fell  in  the  battle.     The  Admiral  is  of  opinion  that  this 
is  somewhat  too  small  a  force  for  safety,  but  if  you  each  take 
the  four  men-at-arms  who  ride  behind  you  it  will  double  his 
force.     Two  of  yours  fell  in  the  fight  I  believe,  Francois." 
"I  have  taken  two  others  from  the  troop  to  fill  their  places." 
"Your  men  all  came  out  of  it,  Philip,  did  they  not?  " 
"  Yes,  sir.     They  were  all  wounded,  but  none  of  them  seri- 
ously, and  are  all  fit  to  ride." 

"  You  will  understand,  Frangois,  that  in  separating  you  from 
myself  I  am  doing  so  for  your  sakes'  alone.  It  will  be  the 
Admiral's  policy  to  avoid  fighting.  Winter  is  close  upon  us 
and  the  work  will  be  hard  and  toilsome,  and  doubtless  ere  we 
effect  a  junction  with  the  Germans  very  many  will  succumb 
to  cold  and  hardship.  You  are  not  as  yet  inured  to  this 
work,  and  I  would  rather  not  run  the  risk  of  your  careers  end- 
ing from  such  causes.  If  I  thought  there  was  a  prospect  of 
fighting  I  should  keep  you  with  me,  but  being  as  it  is  I  think 
it  better  you  should  accompany  the  Sieur  D'Arblay.  The 
mission  is  a  dangerous  one,  and  will  demand  activity,  energy, 
and  courage,  all  of  which  you  possess;  but  in  the  south  you 
will  have  neither  cold  nor  famine  to  contend  with,  and  far 


THE   BATTLE  OF  ST.   DENIS  107 

greater  opportunities  maybe  of  gaining  credit  than  you  would 
in  an  army  like  this,  where,  as  they  have  proved  to  the  enemy, 
every  man  is  brave.  Another  reason,  I  may  own,  is  that  in 
this  case  I  consider  your  youth  to  be  an  advantage.  We  could 
hardly  have  sent  one  gentleman  on  such  a  mission  alone,  and 
with  two  of  equal  rank  and  age,  each  with  eight  followers, 
difficulties  and  dissensions  might  have  arisen,  while  you  would 
both  be  content  to  accept  the  orders  of  the  Sieur  D'Arblay 
without  discussion,  and  to  look  up  to  him  as  the  leader  of 
your  party." 

Although  they  would  rather  have  remained  with  the  army, 
the  lads  at  once  thanked  the  Count  and  stated  their  willing- 
ness to  accompany  the  Sieur  D'Arblay,  whom  they  both  knew 
and  liked,  being,  like  De  la  Noiie,  cheerful  and  of  good 
spirits,  not  deeming  it  necessary  to  maintain  at  all  times  a 
stern  and  grave  aspect,  or  a  ruggedness  of  manner,  as  well  as 
sombre  garments.  De  la  Noiie  at  once  took  them  across  to 
D'Arblay's  tent. 

"  My  cousin  and  his  kinsman  will  gladly  ride  with  you  and 
place  themselves  under  your  orders,  D'Arblay.  I  can  warmly 
commend  them  to  you.  Though  they  are  young  I  can  guaran- 
tee that  you  will  find  them,  if  it  comes  to  blows,  as  useful  as 
most  men  ten  years  their  senior,  and  on  any  mission  that  you 
may  intrust  to  them  I  think  that  you  can  rely  upon  their  dis- 
cretion; but  of  that  you  will  judge  for  yourself  when  you  know 
somewhat  more  of  them.  They  will  take  with  them  eight 
men-at-arms,  all  of  whom  will  be  stout  fellows,  so  that  with 
your  own  men  you  can  traverse  the  country  without  fear  of  any 
party  you  are  likely  to  fall  in  with." 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  your  cousin  and  his  kinsman  with 
me,"  D'Arblay  said  courteously.  "Between  you  and  I,  De  la 
Noiie,  I  would  infinitely  rather  have  two  bright  young  fellows 
of  spirit  than  one  of  our  tough  old  warriors,  who  deem  it  sin- 
ful to  smile,  and  have  got  a  text  handy  for  every  occasion. 
It  is  not  a  very  bright  world  for  us  at  present,  and  I  see  not 
the  use  of  making  it  sadder  by  always  wearing  a  gloomy  coun- 
tenance." 

The  next  morning  the  party  started  and  rode  south.  Avoid- 
ing the  places  held  by  the  Catholics,  they  visited  many  of  the 


108  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

chateaux  of  Huguenot  gentlemen,  to  whom  D'Arblay  com- 
municated the  instructions  he  had  received  from  the  Admiral 
as  to  the  assemblage  of  troops  and  the  necessity  for  raising 
such  a  force  as  would  compel  the  Royalists  to  keep  a  consid- 
erable army  in  the  south,  and  so  lessen  the  number  who  would 
gather  to  oppose  his  march  eastward. 

After  stopping  for  a  short  time  in  Navarre,  and  communi- 
cating with  some  of  the  principal  leaders  in  that  little  kingdom 
they  turned  eastward.  They  were  now  passing  through  a  part 
of  the  country  where  party  spirit  was  extremely  bitter,  and 
were  obliged  to  use  some  caution,  as  they  were  charged  to 
communicate  with  men  who  were  secretly  well  affected  to  the 
cause,  but  who,  living  within  reach  of  the  bigoted  parliament 
of  Toulouse,  dared  not  openly  avow  their  faith. 

Toulouse  had  from  the  time  the  troubles  first  began  distin- 
guished itself  for  the  ferocity  with  which  it  had  persecuted 
the  Huguenots,  yielding  obedience  to  the  various  royal  edicts 
of  toleration  most  reluctantly,  and  sometimes  openly  disobey- 
ing them.  Thus  for  many  miles  round  the  city  those  of  the 
Reformed  faith  lived  in  continual  dread,  conducting  their 
worship  with  extreme  secrecy  when  some  pastor  in  disguise 
visited  the  neighbourhood,  and  outwardly  conforming  to  the 
rites  of  the  Catholic  church.  Many,  however,  only  needed 
the  approach  of  a  Huguenot  army  to  throw  off  the  mask  and 
take  up  arms,  and  it  was  with  these  that  D'Arblay  was  spe- 
cially charged  to  communicate.  Great  caution  was  needed  in 
doing  this,  as  the  visit  of  a  party  of  Huguenots  would,  if 
denounced,  have  called  down  upon  them  the  vengeance  of 
the  parliament,  who  were  animated  not  only  by  hatred  of  the 
Huguenots,  but  by  the  desire  of  enriching  themselves  by  the 
confiscation  of  the  estates  and  goods  of  those  they  persecuted. 

The  visits,, consequently,  were  generally  made  after  night- 
fall, the  men-at-arms  being  left  a  mile  or  two  away.  D'Arblay 
found  everywhere  a  fierce  desire  to  join  in  the  struggle,  re- 
strained only  by  the  fear  of  the  consequences  to  wives  and 
families  during  absence.  "Send  an  army  capable  of  besieg- 
ing and  capturing  Toulouse  and  there  is  not  one  of  us  who 
will  not  rise  and  give  his  blood  for  the  cause,  putting  into  the 
field  every  man  he  can  raise  and  spending  his  last  crown;  but 


THE   BATTLE   OF   ST.    DENIS  109 

unless  such  a  force  approaches  we  dare  not  move.  We  know 
that  we  are  strictly  watched,  and  that  on  the  smallest  pretext 
we  and  our  families  would  be  dragged  to  prison.  Tell  the 
Admiral  that  our  hearts  and  our  prayers  are  with  him,  and  that 
nothing  in  the  world  would  please  us  so  much  as  to  be  fighting 
under  his  banner;  but  until  there  is  a  hope  of  capturing  Tou- 
louse we  dare  not  move." 

Such  was  the  answer  at  every  castle,  chateau,  and  farmhouse 
where  they  called.  Many  of  the  Huguenots  contributed  not 
only  the  money  they  had  in  their  houses  but  their  plate  and 
jewels,  for  money  was  above  all  things  needed  to  fulfil  the 
engagements  the  Admiral  had  made  with  the  German  merce- 
naries who  were  on  their  march  to  join  him.  Sometimes 
Philip  and  Francois  both  accompanied  their  leader  on  his 
visits;  sometimes  they  went  separately,  for  they  were  always 
able  to  obtain  from  the  leading  men  the  names  of  neighbours 
who  were  favourable  to  the  cause.  In  the  way  of  money  they 
succeeded  beyond  their  expectations,  for  as  the  gentlemen  in 
the  district  had  not,  like  those  where  the  parties  were  more 
equally  divided,  impoverished  themselves  by  placing  their 
retainers  in  the  field,  they  were  able  to  contribute  compara- 
tively large  sums  to  the  cause  they  had  at  heart. 


CHAPTER  VII 

A  RESCUE 

TYARBLAY  and  his  two  companions  had  been  engaged  for 
LJ  ten  days  in  visiting  the  Huguenots  within  a  circuit  of 
four  or  five  leagues  round  Toulouse  when  they  learned  that 
their  movements  had  been  reported  to  the  authorities  there. 
They  had  one  day  halted  as  usual  in  a  wood,  when  the  soldier 
on  the  look-out  ran  in  and  reported  that  a  body  of  horsemen, 
some  forty  or  fifty  strong,  were  approaching  at  a  gallop  by  the 
road  from  the  city. 

"  They  may  not  be  after  us,"  D'Arblay  said,  "  but  at  any  rate 
they  shall  not  catch  us  napping." 

Girths  were  hastily  tightened,  armour  buckled  on,  and  all 
took  their  places  in  their  saddles.  It  was  too  late  to  retreat, 
for  the  wood  was  a  small  one,  and  the  country  around  open. 
As  the  horsemen  approached  the  wood  they  slackened  speed 
and  presently  halted  facing  it. 

"Some  spy  has  tracked  us  here,"  D'Arblay  said,  "but  it  is 
one  thing  to  track  the  game,  another  to  capture  it.  Let  us  see 
what  these  gentlemen  of  Toulouse  are  going  to  do.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  they  know  our  number  accurately  enough,  and  if 
they  divide,  as  I  hope  they  will,  we  shall  be  able  to  give  them 
a  lesson." 

This  was  evidently  the  intention  of  the  Catholics.  After  a 
short  pause  an  officer  trotted  off  with  half  the  troop,  making  a 
circuit  to  come  down  behind  the  wood  and  cut  off  all  retreat. 
As  they  moved  off  the  Huguenots  could  count  that  there  were 
twenty-five  men  in  each  section. 

HO 


A  RESCUE  111 

"The  odds  are  only  great  enough  to  be  agreeable,"  D'Arblay 
laughed.  "  It  is  not  as  it  was  outside  Paris,  where  they  were 
ten  to  one  against  us.  Counting  our  servants  we  muster 
twenty-two,  while  that  party  in  front  are  only  four  stronger, 
for  that  gentleman  with  the  long  robe  is  probably  an  official 
of  their  parliament  or  a  city  councillor,  and  need  not  be 
counted.  We  will  wait  a  couple  of  minutes  longer  until  the 
other  party  is  fairly  out  of  sight,  and  then  we  will  begin  the 
dance." 

A  minute  or  two  later  he  gave  the  word,  and  the  little  troop 
moved  through  the  trees  until  nearly  at  the  edge  of  the  wood. 

"Now,  gentlemen,  forward,"  D'Arblay  said,  "and  God  aid 
the  right." 

As  in  a  compact  body,  headed  by  the  three  gentlemen,  they 
burst  suddenly  from  the  wood,  there  was  a  shout  of  dismay, 
and  then  loud  orders  from  the  officer  of  the  troop,  halted  a 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  away.  The  men  were  sitting  care- 
lessly on  their  horses;  they  had  confidently  anticipated  taking 
the  Huguenots  alive,  and  thought  of  nothing  less  than  that  the 
latter  should  take  the  offensive.  Scarcely  had  they  got  their 
horses  into  motion  before  the  Huguenots  were  upon  them. 
The  conflict  lasted  but  a  minute.  Half  the  Catholics  were  cut 
down,  the  rest  turning  their  horses  rode  off  at  full  speed.  The 
Huguenots  would  have  followed  them,  but  D'Arblay  shouted 
to  them  to  halt. 

"You  have  only  done  half  your  work  yet,"  he  said,  "we 
have  the  other  party  to  deal  with." 

Only  one  of  his  Huguenots  had  fallen,  shot  through  the  head 
by  a  pistol  discharged  by  the  officer,  who  had  himself  been  a 
moment  later  run  through  by  D'Arblay,  at  whom  the  shot  had 
been  aimed.  Gathering  his  men  together  the  Huguenot 
leader  rode  back,  and  when  half-way  through  the  wood  they 
encountered  the  other  party,  whose  officer  had  at  once  ridden 
to  join  the  party  he  had  left,  when  he  heard  the  pistol-shot 
that  told  him  they  were  engaged  with  the  Huguenots.  Al- 
though not  expecting  an  attack  from  an  enemy  they  deemed 
overmatched  by  their  comrades,  the  troop,  encouraged  by  their 
officer,  met  the  Huguenots  stoutly.  The  fight  was  for  a  short 
time  obstinate.  Broken  up  by  the  trees,  it  resolved  itself  into 


112  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

a  series  of  single  combats.  The  Huguenot  men-at-arms,  how- 
ever, were  all  tried  soldiers,  while  their  opponents  were  rather 
accustomed  to  the  slaughter  of  defenceless  men  and  women 
than  to  a  combat  with  men-at-arms.  Coolness  and  discipline 
soon  asserted  themselves.  Francois  and  Philip  both  held  their 
ground  abreast  of  their  leader,  and  Philip  by  cutting  down  the 
lieutenant  brought  the  combat  to  a  close.  His  followers  on 
seeing  their  officer  fall  at  once  lost  heart,  and  those  who  could 
do  so  turned  their  horses  and  rode  off.  They  were  hotly  pur- 
sued, and  six  were  overtaken  and  cut  down;  eight  had  fallen 
in  the  conflict  in  the  wood. 

"That  has  been  a  pretty  sharp  lesson,"  D'Arblay  said,  as 
leaving  the  pursuit  to  his  followers  he  reined  in  his  horse  at 
the  edge  of  the  wood.  "You  both  did  right  gallantly,  young 
sirs.  It  is  no  slight  advantage  in  a  melee  of  that  kind  to  be 
strong  in  officers.  The  fellows  fought  stoutly  for  a  short  time. 
Had  it  not  been  for  your  despatching  their  officer,  Monsieur 
Fletcher,  we  should  not  have  finished  with  them  so  quickly. 
It  was  a  right  down  blow,  and  heartily  given,  and  fell  just  at 
the  joint  of  the  gorget." 

"I  am  sorry  that  I  killed  him,"  Philip  replied.  "He 
seemed  a  brave  gentleman,  and  was  not  very  many  years  older 
than  I  am  myself." 

"  He  drew  it  upon  himself, "  D'Arblay  said.  "  If  he  had  not 
come  out  to  take  us  he  would  be  alive  now.  Well,  as  soon  as 
our  fellows  return  we  will  move  round  to  Merlincourt  on  the 
other  side  of  the  town.  There  are  several  of  our  friends  there, 
and  it  is  the  last  place  we  have  to  visit.  After  this  skirmish 
we  shall  find  the  neighbourhood  too  hot  for  us.  It  is  sure  to 
make  a  great  noise,  and  at  the  first  gleam  of  the  sun  on  helm 
or  breast-plate  some  Catholic  or  other  will  hurry  off  to  Tou- 
louse with  the  news.  In  future  we  had  best  take  some  of  the 
men-at-arms  with  us  when  we  pay  our  visits,  or  we  may  be 
c.  night  like  rats  in  a  trap." 

Making  a  circuit  of  twenty  miles  they  approached  Merlin- 
co  irt  that  evening,  and  establishing  themselves  as  usual  in  a 
wood,  remained  quiet  there  next  day.  After  nightfall  D'Arblay 
rode  off,  taking  with  him  Francois  and  five  of  his  own  men, 
and  leaving  Philip  in  command  of  the  rest.  The  gold  and 


A   RESCUE  113 

jewels  they  had  gathered  had  been  divided  into  three  portions, 
and  the  bags  placed  in  the  holsters  of  the  saddles  of  the  three 
lackeys,  as  these  were  less  likely  to  be  taken  than  their  masters, 
and  if  one  were  captured  a  portion  only  of  the  contributions 
would  be  lost.  D'Arblay  had  arranged  that  he  would  not 
return  that  night,  but  would  sleep  at  the  chateau  of  the  gentle- 
man he  was  going  to  visit. 

"  I  will  get  him  to  send  around  to  our  other  friends  in  the 
morning.  The  men  will  return  when  they  see  that  all  is 
clear.  Send  them  back  to  meet  us  at  the  chateau  to-morrow 
night." 

The  five  men  returned  an  hour  after  they  set  out  and  reported 
that  all  was  quiet  at  Merlincourt/and  that  the  Sieur  D'Arblay 
had  sent  a  message  to  Philip  to  move  a  few  miles  farther  away 
before  morning,  and  to  return  to  the  wood  soon  after  nightfall. 
Philip  gave  the  men  six  hours  to  rest  themselves  and  their 
horses,  they  then  mounted  and  rode  eight  miles  farther  from 
Toulouse,  halting  before  daybreak  in  a  thick  copse  standing 
on  high  ground,  commanding  a  view  of  a  wide  tract  of  coun- 
try. Two  of  the  troopers  were  sent  off  to  buy  provisions  in  a 
village  half  a  mile  away,  two  were  placed  on  watch,  some  of 
the  others  lay  down  for  another  sleep,  while  Pierre  redressed 
the  wounds  that  five  of  the  men  had  received  in  the  fight. 
At  twelve  o'clock  one  of  the  look-outs  reported  that  he  could 
see  away  out  on  the  plain  a  body  of  horsemen.  Philip  at  once 
went  to  examine  them  for  himself. 

"  There  must  be  some  two  hundred  of  them  I  should  say  by 
the  size  of  the  clump,"  he  remarked  to  the  soldier. 

"About  that  I  should  say,  sir." 

"I  expect  they  are  hunting  for  us,"  Philip  said.  "They 
must  have  heard  from  some  villager  that  we  were  seen  to  ride 
round  this  way  the  day  before  yesterday,  or  they  would  hardly 
be  hunting  in  this  neighbourhood  for  us.  It  is  well  we  moved 
in  the  night.  I  wish  the  Sieur  D'Arblay  and  the  Count  de 
Laville  were  with  us.  No  doubt  they  were  hidden  away  as  soon 
as  the  troop  was  seen,  but  one  is  never  secure  against  treachery." 

Philip  was  restless  and  uncomfortable  all  day,  and  walked 
about  the  wood  impatiently  longing  for  night  to  come.  As 
soon  as  it  was  dark  they  mounted  and  rode  back  to  the  wood 


114  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

near  Merlincourt.  The  five  men  were  at  once  sent  off  to  the 
chateau  where  they  had  left  their  leaders. 

"That  is  a  pistol-shot!"  Pierre  exclaimed  some  twenty 
minutes  after  they  had  left. 

"I  did  not  hear  it.     Are  you  sure,  Pierre? " 

"Quite  sure,  sir.  At  least  I  will  not  swear  that  it  was  a 
pistol,  it  might  have  been  an  arquebus,  but  I  will  swear  it  was 
a  shot." 

"To  your  saddle,  men,"  Philip  said.  "A  pistol-shot  has 
been  heard,  and  it  may  be  that  your  comrades  have  fallen  into 
an  ambush.  Advance  to  the  edge  of  the  wood,  and  be  ready 
to  dash  out  to  support  them  should  they  come." 

But  a  quarter  of  an  hour  passed  and  there  was  no  sound  to 
break  the  stillness  of  the  evening. 

"  Shall  I  go  into  the  village  and  find  out  what  has  taken 
place,  Monsieur  Fletcher?  I  will  leave  my  iron  cap  and  breast 
and  back  pieces  here.  I  shall  not  want  to  fight  but  to  run, 
and  a  hare  could  not  run  in  these  iron  pots." 

"  Do,  Pierre.  We  shall  be  ready  to  support  you  if  you  are 
chased." 

"If  I  am  chased  by  half  a  dozen  men  I  may  run  here,  sir; 
if  by  a  strong  force  I  shall  strike  across  the  country.  Trust 
me  to  double  and  throw  them  off  the  scent.  If  I  am  not  back 
here  in  an  hour,  it  will  be  that  I  am  taken  or  have  had  to  trust 
to  my  heels,  and  you  will  find  me  in  the  last  case  to-morrow 
morning  at  the  wood  where  we  halted  to-day.  If  I  do  not 
come  soon  after  daybreak,  you  will  know  that  I  am  either 
captured  or  killed.  Do  not  delay  for  me  longer,  but  act  as 
seems  best  to  you." 

Pierre  took  off  his  armour  and  sped  away  in  the  darkness, 
going  at  a  trot  that  would  speedily  take  him  to  the  village. 

"Dismount  and  stand  by  your  horses,"  Philip  ordered. 
"We  may  want  all  their  strength." 

Half  an  hour  later  Pierre  returned  panting. 

"  I  have  bad  news,  sir.  I  have  prowled  about  the  village, 
which  is  full  of  soldiers,  and  listened  to  their  talk  through 
open  windows.  The  Sieur  D'Arblay,  Monsieur  Frangois,  and 
the  owner  of  the  chateau  and  his  wife  were  seized  and  carried 
off  to  Toulouse  this  morning  soon  after  daybreak.  By  what  I 


A   RESCUE  115 

heard,  one  of  the  servants  of  the  chateau  was  a  spy  set  by  the 
council  of  Toulouse  to  watch  the  doings  of  its  owner,  and  as 
soon  as  Monsieur  D'Arblay  arrived  there  last  night,  he  stole 
out  and  sent  a  messenger  to  Toulouse.  At  daybreak  the 
chateau  was  surrounded  and  they  were  seized  before  they  had 
time  to  offer  resistance.  The  troop  of  horse  we  saw  have  all 
day  been  searching  for  us,  and  went  back  before  nightfall  to 
Merlincourt,  thinking  that  we  should  be  sure  to  be  going  there 
sometime  or  other  to  inquire  after  our  captain.  The  five  men 
you  sent  away  were  taken  completely  by  surprise,  and  all  were 
killed,  though  not  without  a  tough  fight.  A  strong  party  are 
lying  in  ambush  with  arquebuses-,  making  sure  that  the  rest  of 
the  troop  will  follow  the  five  they  surprised." 

"You  were  not  noticed,  Pierre,  or  pursued?" 

"No,  sir;  there  were  so  many  men  about  in  the  village  that 
one  more  stranger  attracted  no  attention." 

"Then  we  can  remain  here  safely  for  half  an  hour,"  Philip 
said. 

The  conversation  had  taken  place  a  few  paces  from  the 
troop.  Philip  now  joined  his  men. 

"The  Sieur  D'Arblay  and  Count  Francois  have  been  taken 
prisoners.  Your  comrades  fell  into  an  ambush,  and  have,  I 
fear,  all  lost  their  lives.  Dismount  for  half  an  hour,  men, 
while  I  think  over  what  is  best  to  be  done.  Keep  close  to  your 
horses,  so  as  to  be  in  readiness  to  mount  instantly  if  necessary. 
One  of  you  take  my  horse.  Do  you  come  with  me,  Pierre. 
This  is  a  terrible  business,  lad,"  he  went  on  as  they  walked 
away  from  the  others.  "  We  know  what  will  be  the  fate  of  my 
cousin  and  Monsieur  D'Arblay.  They  will  be  burnt  or  hung 
as  heretics.  The  first  thing  is,  how  are  we  to  get  them  out, 
and  also  if  possible  the  gentleman  and  his  wife  Who  were  taken 
with  them." 

"  We  have  but  ten  of  the  men-at-arms  left,  sir,  and  four  of 
them  are  so  wounded  that  they  would  not  count  for  much  in 
a  fight.  There  are  the  two  other  lackeys  and  myself;  so 
we  are  but  fourteen  in  all.  If  we  had  arrived  in  time  we 
might  have  done  something,  but  now  they  are  firmly  lodged 
in  the  prison  at  Toulouse  I  see  not  that  we  can  accomplish 
anything." 


116  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Philip  fell  into  silence  for  some  minutes,  then  he  said*. 
"  Many  of  the  councillors  and  members  of  parliament  live,  I 
think,  in  villas  outside  the  walls,  if  we  seize  a  dozen  of  them, 
appear  before  the  city  and  threaten  to  hang  or  shoot  the  whole 
of  them  if  the  four  captives  are  not  released,  we  might  succeed 
in  getting  our  friends  into  our  hands,  Pierre." 

"  That  is  so,  sir.  There  really  seems  a  hope  for  us  in  that 
way." 

"Then  we  will  lose  no  time.  We  will  ride  at  once  for  Tou- 
louse. When  we  get  near  the  suburbs  we  will  seize  some 
countryman  and  force  him  to  point  out  to  us  the  houses  of  the 
principal  councillors  and  the  members  of  their  parliament. 
These  we  will  pounce  upon  and  carry  off,  and  at  daybreak  will 
appear  with  them  before  the  walls.  We  will  make  one  of  them 
signify  to  their  friends  that  if  any  armed  party  sallies  out 
through  the  gates,  or  approaches  us  from  behind,  it  will  be  the 
signal  for  the  instant  death  of  all  of  our  captives.  Now  let  us 
be  off  at  once." 

The  party  mounted  without  delay  and  rode  towards  Tou- 
louse. This  rich  and  powerful  city  was  surrounded  by  hand- 
some villas  and  chateaux,  the  abode  of  wealthy  citizens  and 
persons  of  distinction.  At  the  first  house  at  which  they  stopped 
Philip  with  Pierre  and  two  of  the  men-at-arms  dismounted  and 
entered.  It  was  the  abode  of  a  small  farmer,  who  cultivated 
vegetables  for  the  use  of  the  townsfolk.  He  had  retired  to 
bed  with  his  family,  but  upon  being  summoned  came  down- 
stairs trembling,  fearing  that  his  late  visitors  were  bandits. 

"No  harm  will  be  done  you  if  you  obey  our  orders,"  Philip 
said,  "  but  if  not  we  shall  make  short  work  of  you.  I  suppose 
you  know  the  houses  of  most  of  the  principal  persons  who  live 
outside  the  walls?" 

"Assuredly  I  do,  my  lord.  There  is  the  President  of  the 
Parliament  and  three  or  four  of  the  principal  councillors,  and 
the  Judge  of  the  High  Court  and  many  others,  all  living  within 
a  short  mile  of  this  spot." 

"Well,  I  require  you  to  guide  us  to  their  houses.  There 
will  be  no  occasion  for  you  to  show  yourself,  nor  will  any  one 
know  that  you  have  had  aught  to  do  with  the  matter.  If  you 
attempt  to  escape  or  to  give  the  alarm,  you  will  without  scruple 


A  RESCUE  117 

be  shot;  if  on  the  other  hand  we  are  satisfied  with  your  work, 
you  will  have  a  couple  of  crowns  for  your  trouble." 

The  man  seeing  that  he  had  no  choice  put  a  good  face  on 
it.  "  I  am  ready  to  do  as  your  lordship  commands,"  he  said. 
"  I  have  no  reason  for  good-will  towards  any  of  these  person- 
ages, who  rule  us  harshly  and  regard  us  as  if  we  were  dirt  under 
their  feet.  Shall  we  go  first  to  the  nearest  of  them?  " 

"  No,  we  will  first  call  on  the  President  of  the  Parliament, 
and  then  the  Judge  of  the  High  Court,  then  the  councillors  in 
the  order  of  their  rank.  We  will  visit  ten  in  all,  and  see  that 
you  choose  the  most  important.  Pierre,  you  will  take  charge 
of  this  man  and  ride  in  front  of  us.  Keep  your  pistol  in  your 
hand,  and  shoot  him  through  the  head  if  he  shows  signs  of 
trying  to  escape.  You  will  remain  with  him  when  we  enter 
the  houses.  Have  you  any  rope,  my  man?  " 

"  Yes,  my  lord,  I  have  several  long  ropes  with  which  I  bind 
the  vegetables  on  my  cart  when  I  go  to  market." 

"That  will  do,  bring  them  at  once." 

Pierre  accompanied  the  man  when  he  went  to  his  shed. 
On  his  return  with  the  ropes  Philip  told  the  men-at-arms  to 
cut  them  into  lengths  of  eight  feet,  and  to  make  a  running 
noose  at  one  end  of  each.  When  this  was  done  they  again 
mounted  and  moved  on. 

"When  we  enter  the  houses,"  he  said  to  the  two  other 
lackeys,  "you  will  remain  without  with  Pierre,  and  will  take 
charge  of  the  first  four  prisoners  we  bring  out.  Put  the  nooses 
round  their  necks  and  draw  them  tight  enough  to  let  the  men 
feel  that  they  are  there.  Fasten  the  other  ends  to  your  sad- 
dles, and  warn  them  if  they  put  up  their  hands  to  throw  off 
the  nooses  you  will  spur  your  horses  into  a  gallop.  That 
threat  will  keep  them  quiet  enough." 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  arrived  at  the  gate  of  a  large 
and  handsome  villa.  Philip  ordered  his  men  to  dismount 
and  fasten  up  their  horses. 

"You  will  remain  here  in  charge  of  the  horses,"  he  said  to 
the  lackeys,  and  then  with  the  men-at-arms  he  went  up  to  the 
house.  Two  of  them  were  posted  at  the  back  entrance,  two 
at  the  front,  with  orders  to  let  no  one  issue  out.  Then  with 
his  dagger  he  opened  the  shutters  of  one  of  the  windows,  and 


118  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

followed  by  the  other  six  men  entered.  The  door  was  soon 
found,  and  opening  it  they  found  themselves  in  a  hall  where 
a  hanging  light  was  burning.  Several  servants  were  asleep  on 
the  floor.  These  started  up  with  exclamations  of  alarm  at 
seeing  seven  men  with  drawn  swords. 

"Silence!"  Philip  said  sternly,  "or  this  will  be  your  last 
moment.  Roger  and  Jules,  do  you  take  each  one  of  these 
lackeys  by  the  collar.  That  is  right.  Now  put  your  pistols 
to  their  heads.  Now,  my  men,  lead  us  at  once  to  your  mas- 
ter's chamber.  Eustace,  light  one  of  these  torches  on  the 
wall  at  the  lamp  and  bring  it  along  with  you.  Henri,  do  you 
also  come  with  us,  the  rest  of  you  stay  here  and  guard  these 
lackeys.  Make  them  sit  down.  If  any  of  them  move  run 
him  through  without  hesitation." 

At  this  moment  an  angry  voice  was  heard  shouting  above. 

"What  is  all  this  disturbance  about?  If  I  hear  another 
sound  I  will  discharge  you  all  in  the  morning." 

Philip  gave  a  loud  and  derisive  laugh,  which  had  the  effect 
he  had  anticipated,  for  directly  afterwards  a  man  in  a  loose 
dressing-gown  ran  into  the  hall. 

"What  does  this  mean,  you  rascals?"  he  shouted  angrily 
as  he  entered.  Then  he  stopped  petrified  with  astonishment. 

"It  means  this,"  Philip  said,  levelling  a  pistol  at  him, 
"that  if  you  move  a  step  you  are  a  dead  man." 

"You  must  be  mad,"  the  president  gasped.  "Do  you  know 
who  I  am?" 

"  Perfectly,  sir.  You  are  president  of  the  infamous  parlia- 
ment of  Toulouse.  I  am  a  Huguenot  officer,  and  you  are  my 
prisoner.  You  need  not  look  so  indignant;  better  men  than 
you  have  been  dragged  from  their  homes  to  prison  and  death 
by  your  orders.  Now  it  is  your  turn  to  be  a  prisoner.  I 
might,  if  I  chose,  set  fire  to  this  chateau  and  cut  the  throats 
of  all  in  it,  but  we  do  not  murder  in  the  name  of  God,  we 
leave  that  to  you.  Take  this  man  away  with  you,  Eustace. 
I  give  him  into  your  charge;  if  he  struggles  or  offers  the  least 
resistance  stab  him  to  the  heart." 

"You  will  at  least  give  me  time  to  dress,  sir?"  the  presi- 
dent said. 

"Not  a  moment,"  Philip  replied.     "The  night  is  warm, 


A  RESCUE  119 

and  you  will  do  very  well  as  you  are.  As  for  you,"  he  went 
on  turning  to  the  servants,  "  you  will  remain  quiet  until  morn- 
ing, and  if  any  of  you  dare  to  leave  the  house  you  will  be 
slain  without  mercy.  You  can  assure  your  mistress  that  she 
will  not  be  long  without  the  society  of  your  master,  for  in  all 
probability  he  will  be  returned  safe  and  sound  before  mid- 
day to-morrow.  One  of  you  may  fetch  your  master's  cloak, 
since  he  seems  to  fear  the  night  air." 

The  doors  were  opened  and  they  issued  out,  Philip  bidding 
the  servants  close  and  bar  them  behind  them.  When  they 
reached  the  horses  the  prisoner  was  handed  over  to  D'Ar- 
blay's  lackey,  who  placed  the  noose"  round  his  neck  and  gave 
him  warning  as  Philip  had  instructed  him.  Then  they  set  off, 
Pierre  with  the  guide  again  leading  the  way.  Before  morn- 
ing they  had  ten  prisoners  in  their  hands.  In  one  or  two 
cases  the  servants  had  attempted  opposition,  but  they  were 
speedily  overpowered,  and  the  captures  were  all  effected  with- 
out loss  of  life.  The  party  then  moved  away  about  a  mile, 
and  the  prisoners  were  allowed  to  sit  down.  Several  of  them 
were  elderly  men,  and  Philip  picked  these  out  by  the  light  of 
two  torches  they  had  brought  from  the  last  house,  and  ordered 
the  ropes  to  be  removed  from  their  necks. 

"I  should  regret,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "the  indignity  that 
I  have  been  forced  to  place  upon  you  had  you  been  other  than 
you  are.  It  is  well,  however,  that  you  should  have  felt, 
though  in  a  very  slight  degree,  something  of  the  treatment  that 
you  have  all  been  instrumental  in  inflicting  upon  blameless 
men  and  women,  whose  only  fault  was  that  they  chose  to  wor- 
ship God  in  their  own  way.  You  may  thank  your  good  fort- 
une at  having  fallen  into  the  hands  of  one  who  has  had  no 
dear  friends  murdered  in  the  prisons  of  Toulouse.  There  are 
scores  of  men  who  would  have  strung  you  up  without  mercy, 
thinking  it  a  righteous  retribution  for  the  pitiless  cruelties  of 
which  the  parliament  of  Toulouse  has  been  guilty. 

"  Happily  for  you,  though  I  regard  you  with  loathing  as 
pitiless  persecutors,  I  have  no  personal  wrongs  to  avenge. 
Your  conscience  will  tell  you  that,  fallen  as  you  have  into  the 
hands  of  Huguenots,  you  could  only  expect  death;  but  it  is 
not  for  the  purpose  of  punishment  that  you  have  been  cap- 


±20  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

tured;  you  are  taken  as  hostages.  My  friends  the  Count  de 
Laville  and  the  Sieur  D'Arblay  were  yesterday  carried  pris- 
oners into  Toulouse,  and  with  them  Monseiur  de  Merouville, 
whose  only  fault  was  that  he  had  afforded  them  a  night's  shel- 
ter. His  innocent  wife  was  also  dragged  away  with  him. 
You  sir,"  he  said  to  one  of  the  prisoners,  "appear  to  me  to 
be  the  oldest  of  the  party.  At  daybreak  you  will  be  released, 
and  will  bear  to  your  colleagues  in  the  city  the  news  that  these 
nine  persons  are  prisoners  in  my  hands.  You  will  state  that 
if  any  body  of  men  approaches  this  place  from  any  quarter 
these  nine  persons  will  at  once  be  hung  up  to  the  branches 
above  us.  You  will  say  that  I  hold  them  as  hostages  for  the 
four  prisoners,  and  that  I  demand  that  these  shall  be  sent  out 
here  with  their  horses  and  the  arms  of  my  two  friends  and 
under  the  escort  of  two  unarmed  troopers.  These  gentlemen 
here  will,  before,  you  start,  sign  a  document  ordering  the  said 
prisoners  at  once  to  be  released,  and  will  also  sign  a  solemn 
undertaking,  which  will  be  handed  over  to  Monsieur  de 
Merouville,  pledging  themselves  that  should  he  and  his  wife 
choose  to  return  to  their  chateau  no  harm  shall  ever  happen  to 
them,  and  no  accusation  of  any  sort  in  the  future  be  brought 
against  them. 

"  I  may  add  that  should  at  any  time  this  guarantee  be  broken, 
I  shall  consider  it  my  duty  the  moment  I  hear  of  the  event  to 
return  to  this  neighbourhood,  and  assuredly  I  will  hang  the 
signatories  of  the  guarantee  over  their  own  door-posts  and  will 
burn  their  villas  to  the  ground.  I  know  the  value  of  oaths 
sworn  to  Huguenots;  but  in  this  case  I  think  they  will  be  kept, 
for  I  swear  to  you — and  I  am  in  the  habit  of  keeping  my  oaths 
— that  if  you  break  your  undertaking  I  will  not  break  mine." 

As  soon  as  it  was  daylight  Pierre  produced  from  his  saddle- 
bag an  ink-horn,  paper,  and  pens,  and  the  ten  prisoners 
signed  their  name  to  an  order  for  the  release  of  the  four  cap- 
tives. They  then  wrote  another  document  to  be  handed  by 
their  representative  to  the  governor,  begging  him  to  see  that 
the  order  was  executed,  informing  him  of  the  position  they 
were  in,  and  that  their  lives  would  certainly  be  forfeited  un- 
less the  prisoners  were  released  without  delay;  they  also  ear- 
nestly begged  him  to  send  out  orders  to  the  armed  forces  who 


A   RESCUE  121 

were  searching  for  the  Huguenots,  bidding  them  make  no 
movement  whatever  until  after  mid-day. 

The  councillor  was  then  mounted  on  a  horse  and  escorted 
by  two  of  the  men-at-arms  to  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the 
nearest  gate  of  the  city.  The  men  were  to  return  with  his 
horse.  The  councillor  was  informed  that  ten  o'clock  was  the 
limit  given  for  the  return  of  the  prisoners,  and  that  unless  they 
had  by  that  hour  arrived  it  would  be  supposed  that  the  order 
for  their  release  would  not  be  respected,  and  in  that  case  the 
nine  hostages  would  be  hung  forthwith,  and  that  in  the  course 
of  a  night  or  two.  another  batch  would  be  carried  off.  Philip 
had  little  fear,  however,  that  there  would  be  any  hesitation 
upon  the  part  of  those  in  the  town  in  acting  upon  the  order 
signed  by  so  many  important  persons,  for  the  death  of  the 
president  and  several  of  the  leading  members  of  the  parlia- 
ment would  create  such  an  outcry  against  the  governor  by 
their  friends  and  relatives,  that  he  would  not  venture  to  refuse 
the  release  of  four  prisoners  of  minor  importance  in  order  to 
save  their  lives. 

After  the  messenger  had  departed  Philip  had  the  guarantee 
for  the  safety  of  Monsieur  de  Merouville  and  his  wife  drawn 
up  and  signed  in  duplicate. 

"One  of  these  documents,"  he  said,  "I  shall  give  to  Mon- 
sieur de  Merouville,  the  other  I  shall  keep  myself,  so  that  if 
this  solemn  guarantee  is  broken  I  shall  have  this  as  a  justifica- 
tion for  the  execution  of  the  perjured  men  who  signed  it." 

The  time  passed  slowly.  Some  of  the  prisoners  walked 
anxiously  and  impatiently  to  and  fro,  looking  continually 
towards  the  town;  others  sat  in  gloomy  silence,  too  humili- 
ated at  their  present  position  even  to  talk  to  one  another. 
The  soldiers  on  the  contrary  were  in  high  spirits;  they  re- 
joiced at  the  prospect  of  the  return  of  their  two  leaders,  and 
they  felt  proud  of  having  taken  part  in  such  an  exploit  as  the 
capture  of  the  chief  men  of  the  dreaded  parliament  of  Tou- 
louse. Four  of  them  kept  a  vigilant  guard  over  the  prisoners, 
the  rest  ate  their  breakfast  with  great  gusto  and  laughed  and 
joked  at  the  angry  faces  of  some  of  their  prisoners.  It  was 
just  nine  o'clock  when  a  small  group  of  horsemen  were  seen 
in  the  distance. 


122  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"I  think  there  are  six  of  them,  sir,"  Eustace  said. 

"That  is  the  right  number,  Eustace.  The  lady  is  doubtless 
riding  behind  her  husband,  two  men  are  the  escort,  and  the 
other  is  no  doubt  the  councillor  we  released,  who  is  now  act- 
ing as  guide  to  this  spot.  Bring  my  horse,  Pierre,"  and 
mounting  Philip  rode  off  to  meet  the  party.  He  was  soon 
able  to  make  out  the  figures  of  Francois  and  D'Arblay,  and 
putting  his  horse  to  a  gallop  was  speedily  alongside  of  them. 

"What  miracle  is  this?"  Monsieur  D'Arblay  asked  after 
the  first  greeting  was  over.  "  At  present  we  are  all  in  a  maze. 
We  were  in  separate  dungeons,  and  the  prospect  looked  as 
hopeless  as  it  could  well  do,  when  the  doors  opened  and  an 
officer  followed  by  two  soldiers  bearing  our  armour  and  arms 
entered  and  told  us  to  attire  ourselves.  What  was  meant  we 
could  not  imagine.  We  supposed  we  were  going  to  be  led 
before  some  tribunal,  but  why  they  should  arm  us  before  tak- 
ing us  there  was  more  than  we  could  imagine.  We  met  in 
the  courtyard  of  the  prison,  and  were  stupefied  at  seeing  our 
horses  saddled  and  bridled  there,  and  Monsieur  de  Merou- 
ville  and  his  wife  already  mounted.  Two  unarmed  troopers 
were  also  there,  and  this  gentleman,  who  said  sourly,  '  Mount, 
sirs,  I  am  going  to  lead  you  to  your  friends. '  We  looked  at 
each  other  to  see  if  we  were  dreaming,  but  you  may  imagine 
we  were  not  long  in  leaping  into  our  saddles.  This  gentleman 
has  not  been  communicative.  In  fact  by  his  manner  I  should 
say  he  is  deeply  disgusted  at  the  singular  mission  with  which 
he  was  charged,  and  on  the  ride  here  Francois,  Monsieur  de 
Merouville,  and  myself  have  exhausted  ourselves  in  conject- 
ures as  to  how  this  miracle  has  come  about." 

"  Wait  two  or  three  minutes  longer, "  Philip  said  with  a  smile. 
"  When  you  get  to  yonder  trees  you  will  receive  an  explana- 
tion." 

Francois  and  Monsieur  D'Arblay  gazed  in  surprise  at  the 
figures  of  nine  men,  all  in  scanty  raiments,  wrapped  up  in 
cloaks,  and  evidently  guarded  by  the  men-at-arms,  who  set  up 
a  joyous  shout  as  they  rode  in.  Monsieur  de  Merouville 
uttered  an  exclamation  of  astonishment  as  he  recognized  the 
dreaded  personages  collected  together  in  such  a  plight. 

"Monsieur  de  Merouville,"  Philip  said,  "I  believe  you 


A  RESCUE  123 

know  these  gentlemen  by  sight.  Monsieur  D'Arblay  and 
Francois,  you  are  not  so  fortunate  as  to  be  acquainted  with 
them,  and  I  have  pleasure  in  introducing  to  you  the  President 
of  the  Parliament  of  Toulouse,  the  Judge  of  the  High  Court, 
and  other  councillors,  all  gentlemen  of  consideration.  It  has 
been  my  misfortune  to  have  had  to  treat  these  gentlemen  with 
scant  courtesy,  but  the  circumstances  left  me  no  choice. 
Monsieur  de  Merouville,  here  is  a  document,  signed  by  these 
nine  gentlemen,  giving  a  solemn  undertaking  that  you  and 
Madame  shall  be  in  future  permitted  to  reside  in  your  chateau 
without  the  slightest  let  or  hindrance,  and  that  you  shall  suffer 
no  molestation  whatever,  either  on  account  of  this  affair  or 
on  the  question  of  religion.  I  have  a  duplicate  of  this  docu- 
ment, and  have  on  my  part  given  an  undertaking  that  if  its 
terms  are  broken  I  will  at  whatever  inconvenience  to  myself 
return  to  this  neighbourhood,  hang  these  ten  gentlemen  if  I 
can  catch  them,  and  at  any  rate  burn  their  chateaux  to  the 
ground.  Therefore,  I  think  as  you  have  their  undertaking 
and  mine  you  can  without  fear  return  home;  but  this,  of 
course,  I  leave  to  yourself  to  decide.  Gentlemen,  you  are 
now  free  to  return  to  your  homes,  and  I  trust  this  lesson — 
that  we  on  our  part  can  strike  if  necessary — will  have  some 
effect  in  moderating  your  zeal  for  persecution." 

Without  a  word  the  president  and  his  companions  walked 
away  in  a  body.  The  troopers  began  to  jeer  and  laugh,  but 
Philip  held  up  his  hand  for  silence. 

"There  need  be  no  extra  scorn,"  he  said,  "these  gentle- 
men have  been  sufficiently  humiliated." 

"And  you  really  fetched  all  these  good  gentlemen  from 
their  beds,"  D'Arblay  said,  bursting  into  a  fit  of  laughter. 
"Why,  it  was  worth  being  taken  prisoner  were  it  only  for  the 
sake  of  seeing  them.  They  looked  like  a  number  of  old  owls 
suddenly  disturbed  by  daylight — some  of  them  round-eyed 
with  astonishment,  some  of  them  hissing  menacingly.  By 
my  faith,  Philip,  it  will  go  hard  with  you  if  you  ever  fall  into 
the  hands  of  those  worthies.  But  a  truce  to  jokes.  WTe  owe 
you  our  lives,  Philip;  of  that  there  is  not  a  shadow  of  doubt. 
Though  I  have  no  more  fear  than  another  of  death  in  battle, 
I  own  that  I  have  a  dread  of  being  tortured  and  burned.  It 


124  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

was  a  bold  stroke  thus  to  carry  off  the  men  who  have  been  the 
leaders  of  the  persecution  against  us." 

"There  was  nothing  in  the  feat,  if  it  can  be  called  a  feat," 
Philip  said.  "  Of  course  directly  we  heard  that  you  had  been 
seized  and  carried  into  Toulouse,  I  cast  about  for  the  best 
means  to  save  you.  To  attempt  it  by  force  would  have  been 
simple  madness,  and  any  other  plan  would  have  required 
time,  powerful  friends,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  city;  and 
even  then  we  should  probably  have  failed  to  get  you  out  of 
prison.  This  being  so,  it  was  evident  that  the  best  plan  was 
to  seize  some  of  the  citizens  of  importance,  who  might  serve 
as  hostages.  There  was  no  difficulty  in  finding  out  from  a 
small  cultivator  who  were  the  principal  men  living  outside 
the  walls,  and  their  capture  was  as  easy  a  business.  Scarcely 
a  blow  was  struck  and  no  lives  lost  in  capturing  the  whole  of 
them." 

"But  some  of  the  men  are  missing,"  D'Arblay  said. 

"Yes;  five  of  your  men,  I  am  sorry  to  say.  On  getting 
back  to  the  wood  after  dark  I  sent  them,  as  you  ordered,  to 
fetch  you  from  Monsieur  de  Merouville's;  but  of  course  you 
had  been  captured  before  that,  and  they  fell  into  an  ambush 
that  was  laid  for  them  and  were  all  killed." 

"  That  is  a  bad  business,  Philip.  Well,  M.  de  Merouville, 
will  you  go  with  us  or  will  you  trust  in  this  safeguard?  " 

"In  the  first  place,  you  have  not  given  me  a  moment's  op- 
portunity of  thanking  this  gentleman,  not  only  for  having 
saved  the  lives  of  my  wife  and  myself,  but  for  the  forethought 
and  consideration  with  which  he  has,  in  the  midst  of  his  anxi- 
ety for  you  and  Monsieur  de  Laville,  shown  for  us  who  were 
entire  strangers  to  him.  Be  assured,  Monsieur  Fletcher,  that 
we  are  deeply  grateful.  I  hope  that  some  time  in  the  future, 
should  peace  ever  again  be  restored  to  France,  we  may  be 
able  to  meet  you  again  and  express  more  warmly  the  obliga- 
tions we  feel  towards  you." 

Madame  de  Merouville  added  a  few  words  of  gratitude,  and 
then  D'Arblay  broke  in  with — 

"  De  Merouville,  you  must  settle  at  once  whether  to  go  with 
us  or  stay  on  the  faith  of  this  safeguard.  We  have  no  such 
protection,  and  if  we  linger  here  we  shall  be  having  half  a 


A   RESCUE  125 

dozen  troops  of  horse  after  us.  You  may  be  sure  they  will  be 
sent  off  as  soon  as  the  president  and  his  friends  reach  the  city, 
and  if  we  were  caught  again  we  should  be  in  an  even  worse 
plight  than  before.  Do  you  talk  it  over  with  Madame,  and 
while  you  are  doing  so  Francois  and  I  will  drink  a  flask  of 
wine,  and  eat  anything  we  can  find  here,  for  they  forgot  to 
give  us  breakfast  before  they  sent  us  off,  and  it  is  likely  we 
shall  not  have  another  opportunity  for  some  hours." 

"What  do  you  think,  Monsieur  Fletcher?"  M.  de  Merou- 
ville  said  after  speaking  for  a  few  minutes  with  his  wife;  "will 
they  respect  this  pledge  ?  If  not  we  must  go,  but  we  are  both 
past  the  age  when  we  can  take  up  life  anew.  My  property 
would,  of  course,  be  confiscated,  and  we  should  be  penniless 
anong  strangers." 

"I  think  they  will  respect  the  pledge,"  Philip  replied.  "I 
assured  them  so  solemnly  that  any  breach  of  their  promises 
would  be  followed  by  prompt  vengeance  upon  themselves  and 
their  homes,  that  I  feel  sure  they  will  not  run  the  risk.  Two 
or  three  among  them  might  possibly  do  so,  but  the  others  would 
restrain  them.  I  believe  that  you  can  safely  return,  and  that, 
for  a  long  time,  at  any  rate,  you  will  be  unmolested.  Still,  if 
I  might  advise,  I  should  say  sell  your  property  as  soon  as  you 
can  find  a  purchaser  at  any  reasonable  price,  and  then  remove 
either  to  La  Rochelle  or  cross  the  sea  to  England.  You  may 
be  sure  that  there  will  be  a  deep  and  bitter  hatred  against  you 
by  those  whose  humiliation  you  have  witnessed." 

"Thank  you,  I  will  follow  your  advice,  M.  Fletcher,  and  I 
hope  that  I  may  ere  long  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  and 
of  worthily  expressing  our  deep  sense  of  the  debt  of  gratitude 
we  owe  you." 

Five  minutes  later  the  troop  mounted  and  rode  away,  while 
M.  de  Merouville,  with  his  wife  behind  him,  started  for  home. 

"  I  hope,  Frangois,"  D'Arblay  said  as  they  galloped  off  from 
the  wood,  "  that  the  next  time  I  ride  on  an  expedition  your 
kinsman  may  again  be  with  me,  for  he  has  wit  and  resources 
that  render  him  a  valuable  companion  indeed." 

"  I  had  great  hopes,  even  when  I  was  in  prison,  and  things 
looked  almost  as  bad  as  they  could  be,"  Frangois  said,  "that 
Philip  would  do  something  to  help  us.  I  had  much  faith  in 


126  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

his  long-headedness,  and  so  has  the  countess,  my  mother.  She 
said  to  me  when  we  started,  'You  are  older  than  Philip,  Fran- 
cois, but  you  will  act  wisely  if  in  cases  of  difficulty  you  defer 
your  opinions  to  his;  his  training  has  given  him  self-reliance 
and  judgment,  and  he  has  been  more  in  the  habit  of  thinking 
for  himself  than  you  have,'  and  certainly  he  has  fully  justified 
her  opinion.  Where  do  you  propose  to  ride  next,  D'Arblay?  " 

"For  La  Rochelle;  I  shall  not  feel  safe  until  I  am  within 
the  walls.  Presidents  of  Parliament,  judges  of  High  Court, 
and  dignified  functionaries  are  not  to  be  dragged  from  their 
beds  with  impunity.  Happily  it  will  take  them  an  hour  and 
a  half  to  walk  back  to  the  town,  or  longer  perhaps,  for  they 
will  doubtless  go  first  to  their  own  homes.  They  will  never 
show  themselves  in  such  sorry  plight  in  the  streets  of  the  city 
where  they  are  accustomed  to  lord  it;  so  we  may  count  on  at 
least  two  hours  before  they  can  take  any  steps.  After  that  they 
will  move  heaven  and  earth  to  capture  us.  They  will  send  out 
troops  of  horse  after  us,  and  messengers  to  every  city  in  the 
province  calling  upon  the  governors  to  take  every  means  to 
seize  us.  We  have  collected  a  good  sum  of  money,  and  car- 
ried out  the  greater  portion  of  our  mission.  We  shall  only 
risk  its  loss,  as  well  as  the  loss  of  our  own  lives,  by  going 
forward.  The  horses  are  fresh,  and  we  will  put  as  many  miles 
between  us  and  Toulouse  as  they  can  carry  us  before  nightfall." 

The  return  journey  was  accomplished  without  misadventure. 
They  made  no  more  halts  than  were  required  to  rest  their 
horses,  and  travelling  principally  at  night  they  reached  La 
Rochelle  without  having  encountered  any  body  of  the  enemy. 

While  they  had  been  absent  the  army  of  Cond£  and  the 
Admiral  had  marched  into  Lorraine,  and  eluding  the  forces  that 
barrqd  his  march,  effected  a  junction  with  the  German  men-at- 
arms  who  had  been  brought  to  their  aid  by  the  Duke  Casimir, 
the  second  son  of  the  Elector  Palatine.  However,  the  Ger- 
mans refused  to  march  a  step  farther  unless  they  received  the 
pay  that  had  been  agreed  upon  before  they  started.  Condi's 
treasury  was  empty,  and  he  had  no  means  whatever  of  satisfying 
their  demand.  In  vain  Duke  Casimir  himself  tried  to  persuade 
his  soldiers  to  defer  their  claims  and  to  trust  their  French 
co-religionists  to  satisfy  their  demands  later  on.  They  were 


A   RESCUE  127 

unanimous  in  their  refusal  to  march  a  step  until  they  obtained 
their  money. 

The  Admiral  then  addressed  himself  to  his  officers  and  sol- 
diers. He  pointed  out  to  them  that  at  the  present  moment 
everything  depended  upon  their  obtaining  the  assistance  of 
the  Germans,  who  were  indeed  only  demanding  their  rights 
according  to  the  agreement  that  had  been  made  with  them,  and 
he  implored  them  to  come  to  the  assistance  of  the  Prince  and 
himself  at  this  crisis.  So  great  was  his  influence  among  his 
soldiers  that  his  appeal  was  promptly  and  generally  acceded 
to,  and  officers  and  men  alike  stripped  themselves  of  their 
chains,  jewels,  money,  and  valuables  of  all  kinds,  and  so  made 
up  the  sum  required  to  satisfy  the  Germans. 

As  soon  as  this  important  affair  had  been  settled,  the  united 
army  turned  its  face  again  westward,  with  the  intention  of 
giving  battle  anew  under  the  walls  of  Paris.  It  was,  however, 
terribly  deficient  in  artillery,  powder,  and  stores  of  all  kinds, 
and  the  military  chest  being  empty,  and  the  soldiers  without 
pay,  it  was  necessary  on  the  march  to  exact  contributions  from 
the  small  Catholic  towns  and  villages  through  which  the  army 
marched,  and  in  spite  of  the  orders  of  the  Admiral  a  certain 
amount  of  pillage  was  carried  on  by  the  soldiers.  Having 
recruited  the  strength  of  his  troops  by  a  short  stay  at  Orleans, 
the  Admiral  moved  towards  Paris.  Since  the  commencement 
of  the  war  negotiations  had  been  going  on  fitfully.  When  the 
court  thought  that  the  Huguenots  were  formidable  they  pushed 
on  the  negotiations  in  earnest.  Whenever,  upon  the  contrary, 
they  believed  that  the  royal  forces  would  be  able  to  crush  those 
of  the  Admiral,  the  negotiations  at  once  came  to  a  stand-still. 

During  the  Admiral's  long  march  to  the  east  they  would 
grant  no  terms  whatever  that  could  possibly  be  accepted,  but 
as  soon  as  the  junction  was  effected  with  Duke  Casimir  and 
his  Germans,  and  the  Huguenot  army  again  turned  its  face  to 
Paris,  the  court  became  eager  to  conclude  peace.  When  the 
Prince  of  Condi's  army  arrived  before  Chartres  the  negotiators 
met,  and  the  king  professed  a  readiness  to  grant  so  many  con- 
cessions that  it  seemed  as  if  the  objects  of  the  Huguenots 
could  be  attained  without  further  fighting,  and  the  Cardinal 
of  Chatillon  and  some  Huguenot  nobles  went  forward  to  have 


128  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

a  personal  conference  with  the  royal  commissioners  at  Lon- 
jumeau. 

After  much  discussion  the  points  most  insisted  upon  by  the 
Huguenots  were  conceded  and  the  articles  of  a  treaty  drawn 
up,  copies  of  which  were  sent  to  Paris  and  Chartres.  The 
Admiral  and  Conde  both  perceived  that,  in  the  absence  of  any 
guarantees  for  the  observance  of  the  conditions  to  which  the 
other  side  bound  themselves,  the  treaty  would  be  of  little  avail, 
as  it  could  be  broken  as  soon  as  the  army  now  menacing  Paris 
was  scattered.  The  feeling  among  the  great  portion  of  the 
nobles  and  their  followers  was,  however,  strongly  in  favour  of 
the  conditions  being  accepted.  The  nobles  were  becoming 
beggared  by  the  continuance  of  the  war,  the  expenses  of  which 
had,  for  the  most  part,  to  be  paid  from  their  private  means. 
Their  followers,  indeed,  received  no  pay,  but  they  had  to  be 
fed,  and  their  estates  were  lying  untilled  for  want  of  hands. 
Their  men  were  eager  to  return  to  their  farms  and  families, 
and  so  strong  and  general  was  the  desire  for  peace  that  the 
Admiral  and  Cond£  bowed  to  it. 

They  agreed  to  the  terms,  and  pending  their  ratification 
raised  the  siege  of  Chartres.  Already  their  force  was  dwindling 
rapidly;  large  numbers  marched  away  to  their  homes  without 
even  asking  for  leave,  and  their  leaders  soon  ceased  to  be  in  a 
position  to  make  any  demands  for  guarantees,  and  the  peace 
of  Lonjumeau  was  therefore  signed.  Its  provisions  gave  very 
little  more  to  the  Huguenots  than  that  of  the  preceding  arrange- 
ment of  the  same  kind,  and  the  campaign  left  the  parties  in 
much  the  same  position  as  they  had  occupied  before  the 
Huguenots  took  up  arms. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   THIRD   HUGUENOT  WAR 

BEFORE  the  treaty  of  Lonjumeau  had  been  signed  many 
weeks,  the  Huguenots  were  sensible  of  the  folly  they  had 
committed  in  throwing  away  all  the  advantages  they  had  gained 
in  the  war  by  laying  down  their  arms  upon  the  terms  of  a 
treaty  made  by  a  perfidious  woman,  and  a  weak  and  unstable 
king,  with  advisers  bent  upon  destroying  the  reformed  religion. 
They  had  seen  former  edicts  of  toleration  first  modified  and 
then  revoked,  and  they  had  no  reason  even  to  hope  that  the 
new  treaty,  which  had  been  wrung  from  the  court  by  its  fears, 
would  be  respected  by  it.  The  Huguenots  were  not  surprised 
to  find,  therefore,  that  as  soon  as  they  had  sent  back  their 
German  auxiliaries  and  returned  to  their  homes — the  ink, 
indeed,  was  scarcely  dry  on  the  paper  upon  which  the  treaty- 
was  written — its  conditions  were  virtually  annulled. 

From  the  pulpit  of  every  Catholic  church  in  France  the 
treaty  was  denounced  in  the  most  violent  language,  and  it  was 
openly  declared  that  there  could  be  no  peace  with  the  Hugue- 
nots. These,  as  they  returned  home,  were  murdered  in  great 
numbers,  and  in  many  of  the  cities  the  mobs  rose  and  massa- 
cred the  defenceless  Protestants.  Heavy  as  had  been  the 
persecutions  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  they  were  exceeded 
by  those  that  followed  it.  Some  of  the  governors  of  the 
provinces  openly  refused  to  carry  out  the  conditions  of  the 
treaty.  Charles  issued  a  proclamation  that  the  edict  was  not 
intended  to  include  any  of  the  districts  that  were  appanages 
of  his  mother  or  of  any  of  the  royal  or  Bourbon  princes.  In 

129 


130  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

the  towns  the  soldiers  were  quartered  upon  the  Huguenots, 
whom  they  robbed  and  ill-treated  at  their  pleasure;  and  during 
the  six  months  that  this  nominal  peace  lasted  no  less  than  ten 
thousand  Huguenots  were  slaughtered  in  various  parts  of 
France. 

"  The  Prince  of  Conde",  the  Admiral,  his  brothers,  and  our 
other  leaders,  may  be  skilful  generals  and  brave  men,"  the 
Countess  de  Laville  said  indignantly  to  Francois,  when  with 
the  troop,  reduced  by  war,  fever,  and  hardship  to  one-third  of 
its  number,  he  had  returned  to  the  chateau,  "but  they  cannot 
have  had  their  senses  about  them  when  they  permitted  them- 
selves to  be  cozened  into  laying  down  their  arms  without 
receiving  a  single  guarantee  that  the  terms  of  the  treaty 
should  be  observed.  Far  better  never  to  have  taken  up  arms 
at  all.  The  king  has  come  to  regard  us  as  enemies;  the 
Catholics  hate  us  more  than  ever  for  our  successful  resistance. 
Instead  of  being  in  a  better  position  than  we  were  before,  we 
shall  be  in  a  worse.  We  have  given  up  all  the  towns  we  had 
captured,  thrown  away  every  advantage  we  had  gained,  and 
when  we  are  again  driven  to  take  up  arms  we  shall  be  in  a 
worse  position  than  before,  for  they  no  longer  despise  us,  and 
will  in  future  be  on  their  guard.  There  will  be  no  repeating 
the  surprise  of  last  September.  I  am  disappointed  above  all 
in  the  Admiral,  D'Andelot,  La  Rochefoucauld,  and  Genlis. 
Cond£  I  have  never  trusted  as  one  to  be  relied  upon  in  an 
extremity.  He  is  a  royal  prince,  has  been  brought  up  in 
courts,  and  loves  gaiety  and  ease;  and  although  I  say  not  that 
he  is  untrue  to  the  Huguenot  cause,  yet  he  would  gladly  accom- 
modate matters;  and  as  we  see  even  in  this  treaty,  the  great 
bulk  of  the  Huguenots  all  over  the  country  have  been  utterly 
deserted,  their  liberty  of  worship  denied,  and  their  very  lives 
are  at  the  mercy  of  the  bigots.  What  do  you  think,  Philip? 
Have  you  had  enough  of  fighting  for  a  party  who  wilfully  throw 
away  all  that  they  have  won  by  their  sacrifices?  Are  you 
thinking  of  returning  home,  or  will  you  wait  for  a  while  to 
see  how  matters  go  on?  " 

"I  will,  with  your  permission,  wait,"  Philip  said.  "I 
lament  this  peace,  which  seems  to  me  to  leave  us  in  a  worse 
position  than  before  the  war;  but  I  agree  with  you  that  it 


THE  THIRD  HUGUENOT  WAR  131 

cannot  last,  and  that  ere  long  the  Huguenots  will  be  driven 
again  to  take  up  arms.  Frangois  and  I  have  become  as 
brothers,  and  until  the  cause  is  either  lost  or  won  I  would  fain 
remain." 

"That  is  well,  Philip;  I  will  be  glad  to  have  you  with  us, 
my  nephew.  La  Noiie  wrote  to  me  a  month  since  saying  that 
both  my  son  and  you  had  borne  yourselves  very  gallantly,  that 
he  was  well  pleased  to  have  had  you  with  him,  and  that  he 
thought  that  if  these  wars  of  religion  continued,  which  they 
might  well  do  for  a  long  time,  as  in  Germany  and  Holland  as 
well  as  in  France  the  reformed  religion  is  battling  for  freedom, 
you  would  both  rise  to  eminence., as  soldiers.  However,  now 
that  peace  is  made  we  must  make  the  best  of  it.  I  should 
think  it  will  not  be  broken  until  after  the  harvest  and  vintage, 
for  until  then  all  will  be  employed,  and  the  Catholics  as  well 
as  the  Huguenots  must  repair  their  losses  and  gather  funds 
before  they  can  again  take  the  field  with  their  retainers. 
Therefore  until  then  I  think  that  there  will  be  peace." 

The  summer  passed  quietly  at  Laville.  The  tales  of  massa- 
cre and  outrage  that  came  from  all  parts  of  France  filled  them 
with  horror  and  indignation,  but  in  their  own  neighbourhood 
all  was  quiet.  Rochelle  had  refused  to  open  her  gates  to  the 
royal  troops,  and  as  in  all  that  district  the  Huguenots  were  too 
numerous  to  be  interfered  with  by  their  neighbours,  the  quiet 
was  unbroken.  Nevertheless  it  was  certain  that  hostilities 
would  not  be  long  delayed.  The  Catholics,  seeing  the  advan- 
tage that  the  perfect  organization  of  the  Huguenots  had  given 
them  at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  had  established  leagues 
in  almost  every  province.  These  were  organized  by  the  clergy 
and  the  party  that  looked  upon  the  Guises  as  their  leaders,  and 
by  the  terms  of  their  constitution  were  evidently  determined 
to  carry  out  the  extirpation  of  the  reformed  religion  with  or 
without  the  royal  authority,  and  were,  indeed,  bent  upon  form- 
ing a  third  party  in  the  state,  looking  to  Philip  of  Spain  rather 
than  to  the  King  of  France  as  their  leader. 

So  frequent  and  daring  were  the  outrages  in  Paris  that  Condf 
soon  found  that  his  life  was  not  safe  there,  and  retired  to 
Noyers,  a  small  town  in  Burgundy.  Admiral  Coligny,  who 
had  been  saddened  by  the  loss  of  his  brave  wife,  who  had  died 


132  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

from  a  disease  contracted  in  attending  upon  the  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers  at  Orleans,  had  abandoned  the  chateau  at 
Chatillon-sur-Loing,  where  he  had  kept  up  a  princely  hospi- 
tality, and  retired  to  the  castle  of  Tanlay,  belonging  to  his 
brother  D'Andelot,  situated  within  a  few  miles  of  Noyers. 
D'Andelot  himself  had  gone  to  Brittany,  after  writing  a  remon- 
strance to  Catherine  de  Medici  upon  the  ruin  and  desolation 
that  the  breaches  of  the  treaty  and  the  persecution  of  a  section 
of  the  population  were  bringing  upon  France. 

The  Chancellor  L'Hopital  had  in  vain  urged  toleration. 
His  adversaries  in  the  royal  council  were  too  strong  for  him. 
The  Cardinal  of  Lorraine  had  regained  his  old  influence.  The 
king  appointed  as  his  preachers  four  of  the  most  violent 
advocates  of  persecution.  The  De  Montmorencys  for  a  time 
struggled  successfully  against  the  influence  of  the  Cardinal  of 
Lorraine,  who  sought  supreme  power  under  cover  of  Henry  of 
Anjou's  name.  Three  of  the  marshals  of  France,  Montmor- 
ency,  his  brother  Danville,  and  Vielleville,  supported  by  Car- 
dinal Bourbon,  demanded  of  the  council  that  D'Anjou  should 
no  longer  hold  the  office  of  lieutenant-general.  Catherine  at 
times  aided  the  Guises,  at  times  the  Montmorencys,  playing 
off  one  party  against  the  other,  but  chiefly  inclining  to  the 
Guises,  who  gradually  obtained  such  an  ascendancy  that  the 
Chancellor  L'Hopital  in  despair  retired  from  the  council,  and 
thus  removed  the  greatest  obstacle  to  the  schemes  and  ambition 
of  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine. 

At  the  commencement  of  August  the  king  despatched  to  all 
parts  of  his  dominions  copies  of  an  oath  that  was  to  be 
demanded  from  every  Huguenot;  it  called  upon  them  to  swear 
never  to  take  up  arms  save  by  the  express  command  of  the 
king,  nor  to  assist  with  counsel,  money,  or  food  any  who  did 
so,  and  to  join  their  fellow-citizens  in  the  defence  of  their 
towns  against  those  who  disobeyed  this  mandate.  The  Hugue- 
nots unanimously  declined  to  sign  the  oath. 

With  the  removal  of  the  chancellor  from  the  council  the 
party  of  Lorraine  became  triumphant,  and  it  was  determined 
to  seize  the  whole  of  the  Huguenot  leaders,  who  were  quietly 
residing  upon  their  estates  in  distant  parts  of  France.  Gas- 
pard  de  Tavannes  was  charged  with  the  arrest  of  Cond£  and 


THE  THIRD  HUGUENOT  WAR  133 

the  Admiral;  and  fourteen  companies  of  men-at-arms  and  as 
many  of  infantry  were  placed  under  his  orders,  and  these  were 
quietly  and  secretly  marched  to  Noyers. 

Fortunately  Conde"  received  warning  just  before  the  blow 
was  going  to  be  struck.  He  was  joined  at  Noyers  by  the 
Admiral  with  his  daughter  and  sons,  and  the  wife  and  infant 
son  of  D'Andelot.  Cond£  himself  had  with  him  his  wife  and 
children.  They  were  joined  by  a  few  Huguenot  noblemen 
from  the  neighbourhood,  and  these  with  the  servants  of  the 
Prince  and  Admiral  formed  an  escort  of  about  a  hundred  and 
fifty  horse.  Escape  seemed  well-nigh  hopeless.  Tavannes' 
troops  guarded  most  of  the  avenues  of  escape.  There  was  no 
place  of  refuge  save  La  Rochelle,  several  hundred  miles  away 
on  the  other  side  of  France.  Every  city  was  in  the  hands  of 
their  foes,  and  their  movements  were  encumbered  with  the 
presence  of  women  and  young  children. 

There  was  but  one  thing  in  their  favour — their  enemies 
naturally  supposed  that  should  they  attempt  to  escape  they 
would  do  so  in  the  direction  of  Germany,  where  they  would 
be  warmly  welcomed  by  the  Protestant  princes.  Therefore  it 
was  upon  that  line  that  the  greatest  vigilance  would  be  dis- 
played by  their  enemies.  Before  starting  Coligny  sent  off  a 
very  long  and  eloquent  protest  to  the  king,  defending  himself 
for  the  step  that  he  was  about  to  take,  giving  a  history  of  the 
continuous  breaches  of  the  treaty,  and  of  the  sufferings  that 
had  been  inflicted  upon  the  Huguenots,  and  denouncing  the 
Cardinal  of  Lorraine  and  his  associates  as  the  guilty  causes  of 
all  the  misfortunes  that  had  fallen  upon  France. 

It  was  on  the  23d  of  August  that  the  party  set  out  from 
Noyers.  Their  march  was  prompt  and  rapid.  Contrary  to 
expectation  they  discovered  an  unguarded  ford  across  the 
Loire,  near  the  town  of  Laussonne.  This  ford  was  only  passa- 
ble when  the  river  was  unusually  low,  and  had  therefore  es- 
caped the  vigilance  of  their  foes.  The  weather  had  been  for 
some  time  dry,  and  they  were  enabled  with  much  difficulty  to 
effect  a  crossing,  a  circumstance  which  was  regarded  by  the 
Huguenots  as  a  special  act  of  Providence,  the  more  so  as 
heavy  rain  fell  the  moment  they  had  crossed,  and  the  river 
rose  so  rapidly  that  when,  a  few  hours  later,  the  cavalry  of 


134  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Tavannes  arrived  in  pursuit  they  were  unable  to  effect  a 
passage. 

The  party  had  many  other  dangers  and  difficulties  to  encoun- 
ter, but  by  extreme  caution  and  rapidity  of  movement  they 
succeeded  in  baffling  their  foes  and  in  making  their  way  across 
France. 

On  the  evening  of  the  i6th  of  September  a  watchman  on  a 
tower  of  the  chateau  of  Laville  shouted  to  those  in  the  court- 
yard that  he  perceived  a  considerable  body  of  horsemen  in 
the  distance.  A  vigilant  watch  had  been  kept  up  for  some 
time,  for  an  army  had  for  some  weeks  been  collected  with  the 
ostensible  motive  of  capturing  Rochelle  and  compelling  it  to 
receive  a  royal  garrison;  and  as  on  its  approach  parties  would 
probably  be  sent  out  to  capture  and  plunder  the  chateaux  and 
castles  of  the  Huguenot  nobles,  everything  had  been  prepared 
for  a  siege.  The  alarm-bell  was  at  once  rung  to  warn  the 
neighbourhood  of  approaching  danger.  The  vacancies  caused 
in  the  garrison  during  the  war  had  been  lately  filled  up,  and 
the  gates  were  now  closed  and  the  walls  manned,  the  countess 
herself,  accompanied  by  her  son  Philip,  taking  her  place  on 
the  tower  by  the  gateway. 

The  party  halted  three  or  four  hundred  yards  from  the  gate, 
and  then  two  gentlemen  rode  forward. 

"  The  party  look  to  me  more  like  Huguenots  than  Catholics, 
mother,"  Francois  had  said.  "I  see  no  banners;  but  their 
dresses  look  sombre  and  dark,  and  I  think  that  I  can  see 
women  among  them." 

A  minute  later  Philip  exclaimed,  "Surely,  Francois,  those 
gentlemen  who  are  approaching  are  Conde  and  the  Admiral?  " 

"Impossible!"  the  countess  said;  "they  are  in  Burgundy, 
full  three  hundred  miles  away." 

" Philip  is  right,  mother,"  Francois  said  eagerly.  "  I  recog- 
nize them  now;  they  are,  beyond  doubt,  the  Prince  and  Ad- 
miral Coligny.  Lower  the  drawbridge  and  open  the  gates," 
he  called  down  to  the  warders. 

The  countess  hastened  down  the  stairs  to  the  courtyard 
followed  by  Frangois  and  Philip,  and  received  her  two  unex- 
pected visitors  as  they  rode  across  the  drawbridge. 

"Madame,"  Conde"  said  as  he  doffed  his  cap  courteously, 


THE  THIRD  HUGUENOT  WAR  135 

"we  are  fugitives  who  come  to  ask  for  a  night's  shelter.  I 
have  my  wife  and  children  with  me,  and  the  Admiral  has  also 
his  family.  We  have  ridden  across  France  from  Noyers  by 
devious  roads  and  with  many  turnings  and  windings,  have 
been  hunted  like  rabid  beasts,  and  are  sorely  in  need  of  rest." 

"You  are  welcome  indeed,  Prince,"  the  countess  said.  "  I 
esteem  it  a  high  honour  to  entertain  such  guests  as  yourself 
and  Admiral  Coligny.  Pray  enter  at  once;  my  son  will  ride 
out  to  welcome  the  princess  and  the  rest  of  your  party." 

Frangois  at  once  leapt  on  to  a  horse  and  galloped  off,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  the  party  arrived.  Their  numbers  had  been 
considerably  increased  since  they  left  Noyers,  as  they  had 
been  joined  by  many  Huguenot  gentlemen  on  the  way,  and 
they  now  numbered  nearly  four  hundred  men. 

"We  have  grown  like  a  snowball  since  we  started,"  the 
Prince  said,  "  and  I  am  ashamed  to  invade  your  chateau  with 
such  an  army." 

"It  is  a  great  honour,  Prince.  We  had  heard  a  rumour 
that  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  seize  you  and  that  you  had 
disappeared  no  one  knew  whither,  and  men  thought  that  you 
were  directing  your  course  towards  Germany;  but  little  did 
we  dream  of  seeing  you  here  in  the  west." 

It  was  not  until  evening  that  the  tale  of  the  journey  across 
France  with  its  many  hazards  and  adventures  was  told,  for 
the  countess  was  fully  occupied  in  seeing  to  the  comforts  of 
her  guests  of  higher  degree,  while  Francois  saw  that  the  men- 
at-arms  and  others  were  bestowed  as  comfortably  as  might  be. 
Then  oxen  and  sheep  were  killed,  casks  of  wine  broached, 
forage  issued  for  the  horses;  while  messengers  were  sent  off 
to  the  nearest  farms  for  chickens  and  ducks,  and  with  orders 
for  the  women  to  come  up  to  assist  the  domestics  at  the  cha- 
teau to  meet  this  unexpected  strain. 

"  It  is  good  to  sit  down  in  peace  and  comfort  again,"  Conde" 
said,  as,  supper  over,  they  strolled  in  the  garden  enjoying  the 
cool  air  of  the  evening.  "This  is  the  first  halt  that  we  have 
made  at  any  save  small  villages  since  we  left  Noyers.  In  the 
first  place  our  object  was  concealment,  and  in  the  second, 
though  many  of  our  friends  have  invited  us  to  their  castles, 
we  would  not  expose  them  to  the  risk  of  destruction  for  hav- 


136  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

ing  shown  us  hospitality.  Here,  however,  we  have  entered 
the  stronghold  of  our  faith,  for  from  this  place  to  La  Rochelle 
the  Huguenots  can  hold  their  own  against  their  neighbours, 
and  need  fear  nothing  save  the  approach  of  a  large  army,  in 
which  case,  countess,  your  plight  could  scarcely  be  worse  for 
having  sheltered  us.  The  royal  commissioners  of  the  prov- 
ince must  long  have  had  your  name  down  as  the  most  stiff- 
necked  of  the  Huguenots  of  this  corner  of  Poitou,  as  one  who 
defies  the  ordinances  and  maintains  public  worship  in  her 
chateau.  Your  son  and  nephew  fought  at  St.  Denis,  and  you 
sent  a  troop  across  France  at  the  first  signal  to  join  me.  The 
cup  of  your  offences  is  so  full  that  this  last  drop  can  make  but 
little  difference  one  way  or  the  other." 

"  I  should  have  felt  it  as  a  grievous  slight  had  you  passed 
near  Laville  without  halting  here,"  the  countess  said.  "As 
for  danger,  for  the  last  twenty  years  we  have  been  living  in 
danger,  and  indeed  during  the  last  year  I  have  felt  safer  than 
ever;  for  now  that  La  Rochelle  has  declared  for  us,  there  is  a 
place  of  refuge  for  all  of  the  reformed  religion  in  the  prov- 
inces round  such  as  we  have  not  before  possessed.  During 
the  last  few  months  I  have  sent  most  of  my  valuables  in  there 
for  safety,  and  if  the  tide  of  war  comes  this  way,  and  I  am 
threatened  by  a  force  against  which  it  would  be  hopeless  to 
contend,  I  shall  make  my  way  thither.  But  against  anything 
short  of  an  army  I  shall  hold  the  chateau.  It  forms  a  place 
of  refuge  to  which,  at  the  approach  of  danger,  all  of  our  relig- 
ion for  many  miles  round  would  flock  in,  and  as  long  as  there 
is  a  hope  of  successful  resistance  I  would  not  abandon  them 
to  the  tender  mercies  of  Anjou's  soldiers." 

"I  fear,  countess,"  the  Admiral  said,  "that  our  arrival  at 
La  Rochelle  will  bring  trouble  upon  all  the  country  round  it. 
We  had  no  choice  between  that  and  exile.  Had  we  consulted 
our  own  peace  and  safety  only  we  should  have  betaken  our- 
selves to  Germany;  but  had  we  done  that  it  would  have  been 
a  desertion  of  our  brethren,  who  look  to  us  for  leading  and 
guidance.  Here  at  La  Rochelle  we  shall  be  in  communica- 
tion with  Navarre  and  Gascony,  and  doubt  not  that  we  shall 
ere  very  long  be  again  at  the  head  of  an  army  with  which  we 
can  take  the  field  even  more  strongly  than  before;  for  after 


THE  THIRD  HUGUENOT  WAR  137 

the  breaches  of  the  last  treaty,  and  the  fresh  persecutions  and 
murders  throughout  the  land,  the  Huguenots  everywhere  must 
clearly  perceive  that  there  is  no  option  between  destruction 
and  winning  our  rights  at  the  point  of  the  sword.  Neverthe- 
less, as  the  court  will  see  that  it  is  to  their  interest  to  strike  at 
once  before  we  have  had  time  to  organize  an  army,  I  think  it 
certain  that  the  whole  Catholic  forces  will  march  without  loss 
of  time  against  La  Rochelle.  Our  only  hope  is  that,  as  on 
the  last  occasion,  they  will  deceive  themselves  as  to  our 
strength.  The  evil  advisers  of  the  king,  when  persuading 
him  to  issue  fresh  ordinances  against  us,  have  assured  him 
that  with  strong  garrisons  in  all  the  great  towns  in  France,  and 
with  his  army  of  Swiss  and  Germans  still  on  foot,  we  are  alto- 
gether powerless,  and  are  no  longer  to  be  feared  in  the  slight- 
est degree.  We  know  that  even  now,  while  they  deem  us  but 
a  handful  of  fugitives,  our  brethren  throughout  France  will  be 
everywhere  banding  themselves  in  arms.  Before  we  left 
Noyers  we  sent  out  a  summons  calling  the  Huguenots  in  all 
parts  of  France  to  take  up  arms  again.  Their  organization  is 
perfect  in  every  district.  Our  brethren  have  appointed  places 
where  they  are  to  assemble  in  case  of  need;  and  by  this  time 
I  doubt  not  that,  although  there  is  no  regular  army  yet  in  the 
field,  there  are  scores  of  bands  ready  to  march  as  soon  as  they 
receive  orders. 

"  It  is  true  that  the  Catholics  are  far  better  prepared  than 
before.  They  have  endeavoured  by  means  of  these  leagues  to 
organize  themselves  in  our  manner;  but  there  is  one  vital 
difference.  We  know  that  we  are  fighting  for  our  lives  and 
our  faith,  and  that  those  who  hang  back  run  the  risk  of  mas- 
sacre in  their  own  homes.  The  Catholics  have  no  such  im- 
pulse. Our  persecutions  have  been  the  work  of  the  mobs  in 
the  towns  excited  by  the  priests,  and  these  ruffians,  though 
ardent  when  it  is  a  question  of  slaying  defenceless  women  and 
children,  are  contemptible  in  the  field  against  our  men.  We 
saw  how  the  Parisians  fled  like  a  flock  of  sheep  at  St.  Denis. 
Thus,  outnumbered  as  we  are,  methinks  we  shall  take  up  arms 
far  more  quickly  than  our  foes,  and  that,  except  from  the 
troops  of  Anjou  and  the  levies  of  the  great  Catholic  nobles, 
we  shall  have  little  to  fear.  Even  in  the  towns  the  massacres 


138  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

have  ever  been  during  what  is  called  peace,  and  there  was  far 
less  persecution  during  the  last  two  wars  than  in  the  intervals 
between  them." 

The  next  morning  the  Prince  and  Admiral  with  their  escort 
rode  on  towards  La  Rochelle,  which  they  entered  on  the  i8th 
September.  The  countess  with  a  hundred  of  her  retainers  and 
tenants  accompanied  them  on  the  first  day's  journey,  and  re- 
turned the  next  day  to  the  chateau. 

The  news  of  the  escape,  and  the  reports  that  the  Huguenots 
were  arming,  took  the  court  by  surprise,  and  a  declaration  was 
at  once  published  by  the  king  guaranteeing  his  royal  protec- 
tion to  all  adherents  of  the  reformed  faith  who  stayed  at  home, 
and  promising  a  gracious  hearing  to  their  grievances.  As 
soon,  however,  as  the  Catholic  forces  began  to  assemble  in 
large  numbers  the  mask  of  conciliation  was  thrown  off,  all 
edicts  of  toleration  were  repealed,  and  the  king  prohibited 
his  subjects  in  all  parts  of  his  dominions  of  whatever  rank 
from  the  exercise  of  all  religious  rites  other  than  those  of  the 
Catholic  faith,  on  pain  of  confiscation  and  death. 

Nothing  could  have  been  more  opportune  for  the  Huguenot 
leaders  than  this  decree.  It  convinced  even  the  most  reluc- 
tant that  their  only  hope  lay  in  resistance,  and  enabled  Condi's 
agents  at  foreign  courts  to  show  that  the  King  of  France  was 
bent  upon  exterminating  the  reformed  faith,  and  that  its  ad- 
herents had  been  forced  to  take  up  arms  in  self-preservation. 
The  fanatical  populations  of  the  towns  rejoiced  in  the  new 
decree.  Leagues  for  the  extermination  of  heresy  were  formed 
in  Toulouse  and  other  towns  under  the  name  of  Crusades,  and 
high  masses  were  celebrated  in  the  churches  everywhere  in 
honour  of  the  great  victory  over  heresy. 

The  countess  had  offered  to  send  her  son  with  fifty  men-at- 
arms  to  swell  the  gathering  at  La  Rochelle,  but  the  Admiral 
declined  the  offer.  Niort  was  but  a  day's  march  from  the 
chateau,  and  although  its  population  were  of  mixed  religion, 
the  Catholics  might,  under  the  influence  of  the  present  ex- 
citement, march  against  Laville.  He  thought  it  would  be 
better,  therefore,  that  the  chateau  should  be  maintained  with 
all  its  fighting  force  as  a  centre  to  which  the  Huguenots  of 
the  neighbourhood  might  rally. 


THE  THIRD   HUGUENOT  WAR  139 

"I  think,"  he  said,  "that  you  might  for  some  time  sustain 
a  siege  against  all  the  forces  that  could  be  brought  from 
Niort,  and  if  you  are  attacked  I  will  at  once  send  a  force 
from  the  city  to  your  assistance.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the 
Queen  of  Navarre  will  join  us,  and  that  I  shall  be  able  to  take 
the  offensive  very  shortly." 

Encouraged  by  the  presence  of  the  Admiral  at  La  Rochelle, 
the  whole  of  the  Huguenots  of  the  district  prepared  to  take 
the  field  immediately.  Laville  was  the  natural  centre,  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty  men  were  ready  to  gather  there  directly 
an  alarm  was  given. 

Three  days  later  a  man  arrive^  at  the  chateau  from  Niort 
soon  after  daybreak.  He  reported  that  on  the  previous  day 
the  populace  had  massacred  thirty  or  forty  Huguenots,  and 
that  all  the  rest  they  could  lay  hands  on,  amounting  in  num- 
ber to  nearly  two  hundred,  had  been  dragged  from  their 
homes  and  thrown  into  prison.  He  said  that  in  all  the  vil- 
lages round,  the  priests  were  preaching  the  extermination  of 
the  Huguenots,  and  it  was  feared  that  at  any  moment  those 
of  the  religion  would  be  attacked  there,  especially  as  it  was 
likely  that  the  populace  of  the  town  would  flock  out  and 
themselves  undertake  the  work  of  massacre  should  the  peas- 
ants, who  had  hitherto  lived  on  friendly  terms  with  the  Hugue- 
nots, hang  back  from  it. 

"We  must  try  to  assist  our  brethren,"  the  countess  said 
when  she  heard  the  news.  "Francois,  take  what  force  you 
can  get  together  in  an  hour  and  ride  over  towards  Niort. 
You  will  get  there  by  mid-day.  If  these  ruffians  come  out 
from  the  town  do  you  give  them  a  lesson,  and  ride  round  to 
the  villages  and  bring  off  all  of  our  religion  there.  Assure 
them  that  they  shall  have  protection  here  until  the  troubles 
are  over,  or  until  matters  so  change  that  they  can  return  safely 
to  their  homes.  We  cannot  sit  quietly  and  hear  of  murder  so- 
close  at  hand.  I  see  no  prospect  of  rescuing  the  unfortunates 
from  the  prison  at  Niort,  and  it  would  be  madness  with  our 
small  force  to  attack  a  walled  city;  but  I  leave  you  free  to  do 
what  may  seem  best  to  you,  warning  you  only  against  under- 
taking any  desperate  enterprise.  Philip  will  of  course  ride 
with  you." 


140  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"Shall  we  ring  the  alarm-bell,  mother?" 

"No;  it  is  better  not  to  disturb  the  tenantry  unless  on  very 
grave  occasion.  Take  the  fifty  men-at-arms,  your  own  men, 
and  Philip's.  Sixty  will  be  ample  for  dispersing  disorderly 
mobs,  while  a  hundred  would  be  of  no  use  to  you  against  the 
armed  forces  of  the  town  and  the  garrison  of  two  hundred  men." 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  troop  started.  All  knew  the 
errand  on  which  they  were  bent,  and  the  journey  was  per- 
formed at  the  highest  speed  of  which  the  horses  were  capable. 

"They  can  have  a  good  long  rest  when  they  get  there," 
Francois  said  to  Philip,  "and  half  an  hour  earlier  or  later 
may  mean  the  saving  or  losing  of  fifty  lives.  The  mob  will 
have  been  feasting  and  exulting  over  the  slaying  of  so  many 
Huguenots  until  late  last  night,  and  will  not  be  astir  early 
this  morning.  Probably  too  they  will,  before  they  think  of 
sallying  out,  attend  the  churches,  where  the  priests  will  stir 
them  up  to  fury  before  they  lead  them  out  on  a  crusade  into 
the  country.  I  would  that  we  knew  where  they  are  likely  to 
begin.  There  are  a  dozen  villages  round  the  town." 

"What  do  you  say  to  dividing  our  force,  Francois?  As  we 
near  the  town,  you  with  one  party  could  ride  round  to  the  left, 
I  with  the  other  to  the  right,  and  searching  each  village  as  we 
go,  could  join  forces  again  on  the  other  side  of  the  town.  If 
Montpace  had  been  with  us,  of  course  he  would  have  taken  the 
command  of  one  of  the  parties.  It  is  unfortunate  that  he  is 
laid  up  with  that  wound  he  got  at  St.  Denis." 

"  I  am  afraid  he  will  never  be  fit  for  active  service  again, 
Philip.  But  I  am  not  sorry  that  he  is  not  here.  He  might 
have  objected  to  our  dividing  the  troop,  and  besides  I  am  glad 
that  you  should  command,  putting  aside  everything  else.  We 
understand  each  other.  You  will,  of  course,  cut  down  the 
ruffians  from  the  towns  without  mercy  if  you  find  them  engaged 
in  massacre.  If  not,  you  will  warn  the  Huguenots  of  the 
villages  as  you  pass  through  to  leave  their  homes  at  once  and 
make  for  Laville,  giving  a  sharp  intimation  to  the  village 
maires  that  if  the  Protestants  are  interfered  with  in  any  way, 
or  hindered  from  taking  their  goods  and  setting  out,  we  will 
on  our  return  burn  the  village  about  their  ears  and  hang  up  any 
who  have  interfered  with  our  people." 


THE  THIRD  HUGUENOT  WAR  141 

"  I  should  say,  Francois,  that  we  should  take  prisoners  and 
hold  as  hostages  any  citizens  of  importance,  or  priests,  whom 
we  may  find  encouraging  the  townsfolk  to  massacre.  I  would 
take  the  village  priests,  and  maire  too,  so  as  to  carry  out  the 
same  plan  that  acted  so  well  at  Toulouse.  We  could  then 
summon  Niort,  and  say  that  unless  the  Huguenots  in  prison 
are  released,  and  they  and  all  the  Huguenots  in  the  town 
allowed  to  come  out  and  join  us,  we  will  in  the  first  place  burn 
and  destroy  all  the  Catholic  villages  round  the  town,  and  the 
pleasure-houses  and  gardens  of  the  citizens,  and  that  in  the 
second  place  we  will  carry  off  the  prisoners  in  our  hands  and 
hang  them  at  once  if  we  hear  of  a  single  Huguenot  being 
further  ill-treated." 

"  That  would  be  a  capital  plan,  Philip,  if  we  could  get  hold 
of  anyone  of  real  importance.  It  is  likely  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal citizens,  and  perhaps  Catholic  nobles  of  the  neighbour- 
hood, will  be  with  those  who  sally  out,  so  that  they  can  claim 
credit  and  praise  from  the  court  party  for  their  zeal  in  the 
cause.  I  wish  our  parties  had  been  a  little  stronger,  for  after 
we  have  entered  a  village  or  two  we  shall  have  to  look  after  the 
prisoners." 

"I  do  not  think  it  matters,  Francois;  a  dozen  stout  men-at- 
arms  like  ours  would  drive  a  mob  of  these  wretches  before 
them.  They  will  come  out  expecting  to  murder  unresisting 
people,  and  the  sight  of  our  men-at-arms  in  their  white  scarves 
will  set  them  off  running  like  hares." 

"Let  it  be  understood,"  Philip  continued,  "that  if  when 
one  of  us  gets  round  to  the  other  side  of  the  town  he  should 
not  meet  the  other  party,  and  can  hear  no  tidings  of  it,  he 
shall  gallop  on  till  he  meets  it ;  for  it  is  just  possible,  although 
I  think  it  unlikely,  that  one  or  other  of  us  may  meet  with  so 
strong  a  party  of  the  enemy  as  to  be  forced  to  stand  on  the 
defensive  until  the  other  arrives." 

"I  think  there  is  little  chance  of  that,  Philip;  still  it  is  as 
well  that  we  should  make  that  arrangement." 

As  they  neared  Niort  they  met  several  fugitives.  From 
them  they  learned  that,  so  far,  the  townspeople  had  not  come 
out,  but  that  the  Catholics  in  the  villages  were  boasting  that 
an  end  would  be  made  of  the  Huguenots  that  day,  and  that 


142  ST.    LARTHOLOMEW'S   EVE 

many  of  them  were  in  consequence  deserting  their  homes,  and 
making  their  escape  as  secretly  as  they  could  across  the  coun- 
try. When  within  two  miles  of  Niort,  a  column  of  smoke  was 
seen  to  arise  on  the  left  of  the  town. 

"  They  have  begun  the  work !  "  Frangois  exclaimed.  "  That 
is  my  side !  "  and  he  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  half  the 
troop,  giving  them  orders  that  they  were  to  spare  none  whom 
they  found  engaged  in  massacring  Huguenots,  save  priests  and 
other  persons  acting  as  leaders.  These  were  to  be  taken  as 
hostages  for  the  safety  of  their  brethren  in  the  town.  "  You 
need  not  be  over-careful  with  them,"  he  said.  "Throw  a 
picket-rope  round  their  necks  and  make  them  trot  beside  you. 
They  came  out  for  a  little  excitement,  let  them  have  enough 
of  it." 

As  Francois  rode  off  one  way,  Philip  led  his  party  the  other. 

"You  have  heard  these  orders,"  he  said,  "they  will  do  for 
you  also." 

The  first  place  they  rode  into  they  found  the  Catholic 
inhabitants  in  the  streets,  while  the  houses  of  the  Huguenots 
were  closed  and  the  shutters  barred.  The  men  fled  as  the 
troop  dashed  in. 

"Pursue  them,"  Philip  cried,  "and  thrash  them  back  with 
the  flat  of  your  swords,  but  wound  no  one." 

Most  of  the  men  were  soon  brought  back.  By  this  time  the 
Huguenots  had  opened  their  doors,  and  with  shouts  of  joy 
were  welcoming  their  deliverers. 

"Have  they  threatened  you  with  harm?  "  Philip  asked. 

"Yes;  there  has  been  mass  in  the  church  this  morning,  and 
the  priest  has  told  them  to  prepare  to  join  in  the  good  work  as 
soon  as  the  townspeople  arrive." 

The  priest  had  already  been  fetched  from  his  house  guarded 
by  two  troopers.  The  maire  was  next  pointed  out  and  seized. 
Two  horses  were  brought  out,  and  the  prisoners  placed  on  them. 

"Put  a  rope  round  each  of  their  necks,"  Philip  ordered. 
"Fasten  it  firmly." 

Two  troopers  took  the  other  ends. 

"Now  you  will  come  along  with  us,"  Philip  went  on,  "and 
if  you  try  to  escape  so  much  the  worse  for  you.  Now,"  he 
said  to  the  villagers,  "we  shall  return  here  shortly,  and  then 


THE  THIRD  HUGUENOT  WAR  143 

woe  betide  you  if  our  orders  are  not  executed.  Every  house 
in  the  village  shall  be  burned  to  the  ground,  every  man  we  lay 
hold  of  shall  be  hung.  You  will  at  once  place  every  horse  and 
cart  here  at  the  disposal  of  your  Huguenot  brethren;  you  will 
assist  them  to  put  their  household  goods  in  them,  and  will  at 
once  start  with  them  for  Laville.  Those  who  do  so  will  be 
allowed  to  return  unharmed  with  their  animals  and  carts. 
Eustace,  you  will  remain  here  with  two  men  and  see  that  this 
order  is  carried  out.  Shoot  down  without  hesitation  any  man 
who  murmurs.  If  there  is  any  trouble  whatever  before  our 
return,  the  priest  and  the  maire  shall  dangle  from  the  church 
tower." 

The  next  two  villages  they  entered  the  same  scene  was 
enacted.  As  they  approached  the  fourth  village  they  heard 
cries  and  screams. 

"  Lower  your  lances,  my  friends.  Forward ! "  And  at  a 
gallop  the  little  band  dashed  into  the  village. 

It  was  full  of  people.  Several  bodies  of  men  and  women 
lay  in  the  road.  Pistol-shots  rang  out  here  and  there,  showing 
that  some  of  the  Huguenots  were  making  a  stout  defence  of 
their  homes.  Through  and  through  the  crowd  the  horsemen 
rode,  those  in  front  clearing  their  way  with  their  lances,  those 
behind  thrusting  and  cutting  with  their  swords.  The  Catholics 
were  for  the  most  part  roughly  armed.  Some  had  pikes,  some 
had  swords,  others  axes,  choppers,  or  clubs,  but  none  now 
thought  of  defence.  The  arms  that  had  been  brought  out  for 
the  work  of  murder  were  thrown  away,  and  there  wns  no 
thought  save  of  flight.  The  doors  of  the  Huguenot  houses 
were  thrown  open,  and  the  men  issuing  out  fell  upon  those 
who  were  just  before  their  assailants.  Philip  saw  some  horse- 
men and  others  collected  round  a  cross  in  the  centre  of  the 
village,  and  calling  upon  the  men  near  him  to  follow,  dashed 
forward  and  surrounded  the  party  before  they  apprehended  the 
meaning  of  this  sudden  tumult.  Two  or  three  of  the  men 
drew  their  swords  as  if  to  resist,  but  seeing  that  their  friends 
were  completely  routed,  they  surrendered.  The  party  consisted 
of  three  men,  who  were  by  their  dresses  persons  of  rank,  four 
or  five  citizens,  also  on  horseback,  four  priests,  and  a  dozen 
acolytes  with  banners  and  censers. 


144  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

" Tie  their  hands  behind  them,"  Philip  ordered.  "  Not  the 
boys;  let  them  go." 

"I  protest  against  this  indignity,"  one  of  the  gentlemen 
said;  "I  am  a  nobleman." 

"  If  you  were  a  prince  of  the  blood,  sir,  and  I  found  you  en- 
gaged in  the  massacre  of  innocent  people,  I  would  tie  you  up 
and  set  you  swinging  from  the  nearest  tree  without  compunc- 
tion." 

Their  arms  were  all  tightly  bound  behind  them. 

"Would  you  touch  a  servant  of  the  Lord?"  the  leading 
priest  said. 

"Your  clothing  is  that  of  a  servant  of  the  Lord,"  Philip 
replied;  "but  as  I  find  you  engaged  upon  the  work  of  the 
devil,  I  can  only  suppose  that  you  have  stolen  the  clothes. 
Four  of  you  take  these  priests  behind  you,"  he  said  to  his  men; 
"tie  them  tightly  with  their  backs  to  yours,  that  will  leave 
you  the  use  of  your  arms.  Pierre,  do  you  ride  beside  the 
other  prisoners,  and  if  you  see  any  attempt  at  escape  shoot 
them  at  once.  Quick,  my  lads;  there  may  be  more  of  this 
work  going  on  ahead." 

He  then  gave  similar  instructions  for  the  carriage  of  the 
Huguenot  goods  as  he  had  at  the  preceding  places.  At  the 
next  village  they  were  in  time  to  prevent  the  work  of  massacre 
from  commencing.  A  party  of  horsemen  and  some  priests, 
followed  by  a  mob,  were  just  entering  it  as  they  rode  up. 
The  horsemen  were  overthrown  by  their  onset,  the  mob  sent 
flying  back  towards  the  town,  the  Huguenots  charging  almost 
up  to  the  gates.  The  horsemen  and  priests  were  made  pris- 
oners as  before,  and  when  the  rest  of  the  band  returned  from 
their  pursuit  they  again  rode  on.  They  had  now  made  half  a 
circuit  of  Niort,  and  presently  saw  Francois  and  his  party 
galloping  towards  them. 

"I  had  begun  to  be  afraid  that  something  had  happened," 
Francois  said  as  he  rode  up.  "  I  waited  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
and  then  rode  on,  as  we  agreed.  Well,  I  see  you  have  got  a 
good  batch  of  prisoners." 

"We  have  lost  no  time,"  Philip  said.  "We  have  been 
through  five  villages.  At  one  we  were  just  in  time,  for  they 
had  begun  the  work  of  massacre  before  we  got  up;  at  another 


THE  THIRD  HUGUENOT  WAR  145 

we  met  them  as  they  arrived;  but  at  the  other  three,  although 
the  villagers  were  prepared  for  the  work,  the  townsmen  had 
not  arrived." 

"There  were  only  three  villages  on  my  side,"  Francois  said. 
"At  the  first  they  had  nearly  finished  their  work  before  we 
arrived.  That  was  where  we  saw  the  smoke  rising.  But  we 
paid  them  for  it  handsomely,  for  we  must  have  cut  down  more 
than  a  hundred  of  the  scoundrels.  At  one  of  the  others  the 
Huguenots  were  defending  themselves  well,  and  there  too  we 
gave  the  townspeople  a  lesson.  At  the  third  all  was  quiet. 
We  have  taken  six  or  eight  burghers,  as  many  gentlemen,  and 
ten  priests." 

Philip  told  him  the  orders  he  had  given  for  the  Catholics  to 
place  their  horses  and  carts  at  the  disposal  of  their  Huguenot 
fellow-villagers. 

"  I  wish  I  had  thought  of  it,"  Francois  said.  "  But  it  is  not 
too  late;  I  will  ride  back  with  my  party  and  see  all  our  friends 
well  on  their  way  from  the  villages.  I  left  four  men  at  each 
tok  eep  the  Catholics  from  interfering.  If  you  will  go  back 
the  way  you  came  we  will  meet  again  on  the  main  road  on  the 
other  side  of  the  town.  I  don't  think  there  is  any  fear  of  their 
making  a  sortie.  Our  strength  is  sure  to  be  greatly  exagger- 
ated, and  the  fugitives  pouring  in  from  each  side  of  the  town 
with  their  tales  will  spread  a  report  that  Conde"  himself,  with 
a  whole  host  of  horsemen,  is  around  them." 

Philip  found  all  going  on  well  as  he  returned  through  the 
villages,  the  scare  being  so  great  that  none  thought  of  disobey- 
ing the  orders,  and  in  a  couple  of  hours  he  rejoined  Francois, 
having  seen  the  whole  of  the  Huguenot  population  of  the 
villages  well  on  their  way. 

"Now,  Philip,  we  will  go  and  summon  the  town.  First  of 
all,  though,  let  us  get  a  complete  list  of  the  names  of  our 
prisoners." 

These  were  all  written  down,  and  then  the  two  leaders  with 
their  eight  men-at-arms  rode  towards  the  gates  of  Niort,  a 
white  flag  being  raised  on  one  of  the  lances. 


CHAPTER   IX 

AN  IMPORTANT  MISSION 

WE  have  made  an  excellent  haul,"  Francois  said,  as,  while 
awaiting  the  answer  to  their  signal,  they  looked  down  the 
list  of  names.  "  Among  the  gentlemen  are  several  connected 
with  some  of  the  most  important  Catholic  families  of  Poitou. 
The  more  shame  to  them  for  being  engaged  in  so  rascally  a 
business;  though  when  the  court  and  the  king,  Lorraine  and 
the  Guises,  set  the  example  of  perscution,  one  can  scarcely 
blame  the  lesser  gentry,  who  wish  to  ingratiate  themselves  with 
the  authorities,  for  doing  the  same.  Of  the  citizens  we  have 
got  one  of  the  magistrates,  and  four  or  five  other  prominent 
men,  whom  I  know  by  reputation  as  having  been  among  the 
foremost  to  stir  up  the  people  against  the  Huguenots.  These 
fellows  I  could  hang  up  with  pleasure,  and  would  do  so  were 
it  not  that  we  need  them  to  exchange  for  our  friends. 

"Then  we  have  got  thirty  priests.  The  names  of  two  of 
them  I  know  as  popular  preachers,  who,  after  the  last  peace 
was  made,  denounced  the  king  and  his  mother  as  Ahab  and 
Jezebel  for  making  terms  with  us.  They,  too,  were  it  not  for 
their  sacred  office,  I  could  string  up  without  having  any  weight 
upon  my  conscience.  Ah !  there  is  the  white  flag,  let  us  ride 
forward." 

The  gates  remained  closed,  and  they  rode  up  to  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  them.  In  a  few  minutes  several  persons 
made  their  appearance  on  the  wall  over  the  gateway,  and  they 
then  advanced  to  within  twenty  paces  of  the  gate. 

Then  one  from  the  wall  said:  "I  am  John  De  Luc,  royal 

146 


AN   IMPORTANT  MISSION  147 

commissioner  of  this  town,  this  is  the  reverend  bishop  of  the 
town,  this  is  the  maire,  and  these  the  magistrates;  to  whom 
am  I  speaking?" 

"I  am  the  Count  Francois  de  Laville,"  Francois  replied; 
"  and  I  now  represent  the  gentlemen  who  have  come  hither, 
with  a  large  body  of  troops,  to  protect  those  of  our  faith  from 
persecution  and  massacre.  We  arrived  too  late  to  save  all, 
but  not  to  punish,  as  the  ruffians  of  your  town  have  learned  to 
their  cost.  Some  two  or  three  hundred  of  them  came  out  to 
slay  and  have  been  slain.  The  following  persons  are  in  our 
hands,"  and  he  read  the  list  of  the  prisoners.  "I  now  give 
you  notice  that,  unless  within  one.,  hour  of  the  present  time,  all 
those  of  the  reformed  faith  whom  you  have  thrown  into  prison, 
together  with  all  others  who  wish  to  leave,  are  permitted  to 
issue  from  this  gate  free  and  unharmed,  and  carrying  with 
them  what  portion  of  their  worldly  goods  they  may  wish  to 
take,  I  will  hang  up  the  whole  of  the  prisoners  in  my  hands — 
gentlemen,  citizens,  and  priests — to  the  trees  of  that  wood  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  away.  Let  it  be  understood  that  the  terms 
are  to  be  carried  out  to  the  letter.  Proclamation  must  be 
made  through  your  streets  that  all  of  the  reformed  faith  are  free 
to  depart,  taking  with  them  their  wives  and  families,  and  such 
valuables  and  goods  as  they  may  choose.  I  shall  question 
those  who  come  out,  and  if  I  find  that  any  have  been  detained 
against  their  will,  or  if  the  news  has  not  been  so  proclaimed 
that  all  can  take  advantage  of  it,  I  shall  not  release  the  pris- 
oners. If  these  terms  are  not  accepted,  my  officers  will  first 
hang  the  prisoners,  then  they  will  ravage  the  country  round, 
and  will  then  proceed  to  besiege  the  city,  and  when  they  cap- 
ture it,  take  vengeance  for  the  innocent  blood  that  has  been 
shed  within  its  walls.  You  best  know  what  is  the  strength  of 
your  garrison,  and  whether  you  can  successfully  resist  an  assault 
by  the  troops  of  the  Admiral.  I  will  give  you  ten  minutes  to 
deliberate.  Unless  by  the  end  of  that  time  you  accept  the 
conditions  offered,  it  will  go  hard  with  those  in  our  hands." 

"Impious  youth,"  the  bishop,  who  was  in  full  pontificals, 
said,  "you  would  never  dare  to  hang  priests." 

"  As  the  gentlemen  of  your  party  have  thought  it  no  sin  to 
put  to  death  scores  of  our  ministers,  and  as  I  found  these  most 


148  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

holy  persons  hounding  on  a  mob  to  massacre,  I  shall  certainly 
feel  no  compunction  whatever  in  executing  the  orders  of  my 
leader,  to  hang  them  with  the  other  malefactors,"  Francois 
replied;  "and  methinks  that  you  will  benefit  these  holy  men 
more  by  advising  those  with  you  to  agree  to  the  conditions 
which  I  offer  than  by  wasting  your  breath  in  controversy  with 
me." 

There  was  a  hasty  conversation  between  those  on  the  wall, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  they  came  to  an  agreement.  De 
Luc  feared  that  he  should  incur  the  enmity  of  several  powerful 
families  if  he  left  their  relatives  for  execution.  The  citizens 
were  equally  anxious  to  save  their  fellows,  and  were,  moreover, 
scared  at  the  threat  of  the  neighbourhood  being  laid  waste  and 
the  town  attacked  by  this  unknown  force  that  had  appeared 
before  it.  They  had  heard  vague  rumours  of  the  arrival  of  the 
Prince  and  Admiral  with  a  large  force  at  La  Rochelle,  but  it 
might  well  be  that  he  had  turned  aside  on  his  journey  at  the 
news  of  the  occurrences  at  Niort. 

The  bishop  was  equally  anxious  to  rescue  the  priests,  for  he 
felt  that  he  might  be  blamed  for  their  death  by  his  ecclesi- 
astical superiors.  Their  consultation  over,  De  Luc  turned  to 
the  Count. 

"  Do  you  give  me  your  solemn  assurance  and  word  as  a  noble 
of  France  that  upon  our  performing  our  part  of  the  condition 
the  prisoners  in  your  hands  shall  be  restored  unharmed?  " 

"I  do,"  Francois  replied.  "I  pledge  my  honour,  that  as 
soon  as  I  find  that  the  whole  of  those  of  our  religion  have  left 
the  town  peaceably,  the  prisoners  shall  be  permitted  to  return 
unharmed  in  any  way." 

"Then  we  accept  the  terms.  All  those  of  the  reformed 
religion  in  the  town,  whether  at  present  in  prison  or  in  their 
homes,  who  may  desire  to  leave,  will  be  permitted  to  pass. 
As  soon  as  you  retire  the  gate  shall  be  opened." 

Francois  and  his  party  fell  back  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  In  a 
short  time  people  began  to  issue  in  twos  and  threes  from  the 
gate.  Many  bore  heavy  bundles  on  their  backs,  and  were 
accompanied  by  women  and  children  all  similarly  laden.  A 
few  had  with  them  carts  piled  up  with  household  goods. 
From  the  first  who  came  Frangois  learned  that  the  conditions 


AN  IMPORTANT  MISSION  149 

had  been  carried  out,  the  proclamation  being  made  in  every 
street  at  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  that  all  who  held  the  reformed 
religion  were  free  to  depart,  and  that  they  might  take  with 
them  such  goods  as  they  could  carry  or  take  in  carts. 

At  first  it  had  been  thought  that  this  was  but  a  trap  to  get 
the  Huguenots  to  reveal  themselves,  but  the  reports  of  those 
who  had  returned  discomfited  to  the  town  that  there  was  a 
great  Huguenot  force  outside,  and  that  many  people  of  con- 
sideration had  been  taken  prisoners,  gave  them  courage,  and 
some  of  the  leading  citizens  went  round  to  every  house  where 
persons  suspected  of  being  Huguenots  were  living,  to  urge 
them  to  leave,  telling  them  that  a  treaty  had  been  made  secur- 
ing them  their  safety.  Before  the  hour  had  passed  more  than 
five  hundred  men,  women,  and  children  had  left  the  town. 
As  all  agreed  that  no  impediment  had  been  placed  in  their 
way,  but  that  upon  the  contrary  every  person  even  suspected  as 
having  Huguenot  leanings  had  been  urged  to  go,  Francois  and 
Philip  felt  assured  that  at  any  rate  all  who  wished  to  leave  had 
had  the  opportunity  of  doing  so.  They  waited  ten  minutes 
over  the  hour,  and  then  seeing  that  no  more  came  forth  they 
ordered  the  prisoners  to  be  unbound  and  allowed  to  depart  for 
the  city. 

As  the  fugitives  had  come  along  they  were  told  that  the 
Prince  of  Conde"  with  a  strong  force  had  entered  La  Rochelle, 
and  were  advised  to  make  for  that  city,  where  they  would  find 
safety  and  welcome.  Those,  however,  who  preferred  to  go 
to  Laville,  were  assured  that  they  would  be  welcomed  and 
cared  for  there  until  an  opportunity  arose  for  their  being  sent 
under  escort  to  La  Rochelle.  The  greater  portion  decided  to 
make  at  once  for  the  Huguenot  city. 

"  I  think,  Philip,  you  had  better  take  forty  of  the  men  to 
act  as  a  rear-guard  to  these  poor  people  till  you  are  within 
sight  of  La  Rochelle.  The  fellows  whom  we  have  let  free  will 
tell  on  their  return  to  the  town  that  we  are  but  a  small  party, 
and  it  is  possible  they  may  send  out  parties  in  pursuit." 

"I  don't  think  it  is  likely;  the  townspeople  have  been  too 
roughly  handled  to  care  about  running  any  risks.  They  have 
no  very  large  body  of  men-at-arms  in  the  town.  Still,  if  they 
do  pursue,  it  will  be  by  the  road  to  La  Rochelle,  for  that  is 


150  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

the  one  they  will  think  that  most  of  the  fugitives  will  take. 
Had  we  not  better  divide  the  troop  equally,  Francois?" 

"  No,  I  think  not.  They  will  imagine  we  shall  all  be  going 
by  that  road,  and  that,  moreover,  some  of  the  other  gentlemen 
of  our  faith  may  be  coming  to  meet  us  with  their  retainers. 
Twenty  will  be  ample  for  me,  do  you  take  the  rest." 

Two  hours  later  Philip  saw  a  cloud  of  dust  rising  from  the 
road  in  his  rear.  He  hurried  on  with  the  fugitives  in  front 
of  him  until,  half  an  hour  later,  they  came  to  a  bridge  over  a 
stream.  This  was  only  wide  enough  for  four  horsemen  to 
cross  abreast,  and  here  he  took  up  his  station.  In  a  few 
minutes  a  number  of  horsemen  approached.  They  were  riding 
without  order  or  regularity,  intent  only  on  overtaking  their 
prey.  Seeing  the  disorder  in  which  they  came  Philip 
advanced  from  the  bridge,  formed  up  his  men  in  two  lines, 
and  then  charged  at  full  gallop.  The  men-at-arms  tried  to 
rein  in  their  horses  and  form  in  order,  but  before  they  could 
do  so  the  Huguenots  burst  down  upon  them.  The  horses  of 
the  Catholics,  exhausted  with  the  speed  at  which  they  had 
been  ridden,  were  unable  to  withstand  the  shock,  and  they  and 
their  riders  went  down  before  it.  A  panic  seized  those  in 
the  rear,  and  turning  quickly  they  fled  in  all  directions,  leav- 
ing some  thirty  of  their  number  dead  on  the  ground.  Philip 
would  not  permit  his  followers  to  pursue. 

"They  outnumber  us  four  times,"  he  said,  "and  if  we  scatter 
they  may  turn  and  fall  upon  us.  Our  horses  have  done  a  long 
day's  work,  and  deserve  rest.  We  will  halt  here  at  the  bridge. 
They  are  not  likely  to  disturb  us,  but  if  they  do  we  can  make  a 
stout  resistance  here.  Do  you  ride  on,  Jacques,  and  tell  the 
fugitives  that  they  can  press  forward  as  far  as  they  like,  and 
then  halt  for  the  night.  We  will  take  care  that  they  are 
not  molested,  and  will  ride  on  and  overtake  them  in  the 
morning." 

The  night  passed  quietly,  and  late  the  following  evening  the 
party  were  in  sight  of  La  Rochelle.  Philip  had  intended  to 
turn  at  this  point,  where  all  danger  to  the  fugitives  was  over, 
and  to  start  on  his  journey  back.  But  the  hour  was  late,  and 
he  would  have  found  it  difficult  to  obtain  food  and  forage 
without  pressing  the  horses.  He  therefore  determined  to  pass 


AN   IMPORTANT   MISSION  151 

the  night  at  La  Rochelle,  as  he  could  take  the  last  news  thence 
back  to  Laville. 

The  streets  of  the  town  presented  a  busy  aspect;  parties  of 
Huguenot  gentlemen  and  their  retainers  were  constantly  arriv- 
ing, and  fugitive  villagers  had  come  in  from  a  wide  extent  of 
country. 

Large  numbers  of  men  were  working  at  the  walls  of  the 
town;  the  harbour  was  full  of  small  craft;  lines  of  carts  brought 
in  provisions  from  the  surrounding  country,  and  large  numbers 
of  oxen,  sheep,  and  goats  were  being  driven  in. 

"As  we  shall  start  for  Laville  in  the  morning,"  Philip  said 
to  his  men,  "it  is  not  worth  while  to  trouble  to  get  quarters; 
and,  indeed,  I  should  say  from  the  appearance  of  the  place 
that  every  house  is  already  crowded  from  basement  to  roof. 
Therefore  we  will  bivouac  down  by  the  shore,  where  I  see 
there  are  many  companies  already  bestowed." 

As  soon  as  they  had  picketed  their  horses  a  party  were  sent 
off  to  purchase  provisions  for  the  troop  and  forage  for  their 
horses,  and  when  he  had  seen  that  the  arrangements  were  com- 
plete, Philip  told  Pierre  to  follow  him,  and  went  up  to  the 
castle,  where  Cond£  and  Coligny  with  their  families  were 
lodged. 

He  was  greeted  warmly  by  several  of  the  gentlemen  who  had 
stopped  at  the  chateau  a  few  days  before.  The  story  of  the 
fugitives  from  Niort  had  already  spread  through  the  town,  and 
Philip  was  eagerly  questioned  about  it.  Just  as  he  was  about 
to  tell  the  story,  Cond£  and  the  Admiral  came  out  from  an 
inner  room  into  the  large  ante-room  where  they  were  talking. 

"Ah !  here  is  the  young  Count's  cousin,  Monsieur  Fletcher," 
the  Admiral  said;  "now  we  shall  hear  about  this  affair  of 
Niort,  of  which  we  have  received  half  a  dozen  different  ver- 
sions in  the  last  hour.  Is  the  Count  himself  here?  " 

"  No,  sir;  he  returned  to  Laville,  escorting  the  fugitives  who 
went  thither,  while  he  sent  me  with  the  larger  portion  of  the 
troop  to  protect  the  passage  hither  of  the  main  body." 

"  But  it  was  reported  to  me  that  the  troop  with  which  you 
entered  was  but  forty  strong.  I  hear  you  fought  a  battle  on 
the  way;  did  you  lose  many  men  there?  " 

"  None,  sir.     Indeed  I  am  glad  to  say,  that  beyond  a  few 


152  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

trifling  wounds  the  whole  matter  has  been  carried  out  without 
any  loss  to  the  party  that  rode  from  Laville." 

"How  strong  were  they  altogether,  monsieur?  " 

"Sixty,  sir." 

"Then  where  did  you  join  the  force  that,  as  we  hear,  cut  up 
the  townspeople  of  Niort  as  they  were  massacring  our  people 
in  the  villages  round,  and  afterwards  obtained  from  the  town 
the  freedom  of  those  who  had  been  cast  into  prison,  and  per- 
mission for  all  Huguenots  to  leave  the  town?" 

"There  was  no  other  force,  sir;  we  had  just  the  sixty  men 
from  Laville,  commanded  by  my  cousin  Francois.  When  the 
news  arrived  of  the  doings  at  Niort  there  was  no  time  to  send 
round  to  gather  our  friends,  so  we  mounted  the  men-at-arms  at 
the  chateau  and  rode  with  all  speed,  and  were  but  just  in  time. 
Had  we  delayed  another  half  hour  to  gather  a  larger  force  we 
should  have  been  too  late." 

"Tell  us  all  about  it,"  the  Prince  said.  "This  seems  to 
have  been  a  gallant  and  well-managed  affair,  Admiral." 

Philip  related  the  whole  circumstances  of  the  affair;  how 
the  townspeople  had  been  heavily  punished  and  the  chief  men 
taken  as  hostages,  and  the  peasants  compelled  to  assist  to  cgn- 
vey  the  property  of  the  Huguenots  to  Laville;  also  the  subse- 
quent negotiations  and  the  escape  of  all  the  Huguenots  from 
Niort,  and  how  the  troop  under  him  had  smartly  repulsed,  with 
the  loss  of  over  thirty  men,  the  men-at-arms  from  the  city. 

"A  gallant  enterprise,"  the  Prince  said.  "What  think  you, 
Admiral?" 

"  I  think,  indeed,  that  this  young  gentleman  and  his  cousin, 
the  young  Count  of  Laville,  have  shown  singular  prudence  and 
forethought,  as  well  as  courage.  The  matter  could  not  have 
been  better  managed  had  it  been  planned  by  any  of  our  oldest 
heads.  That  they  should  at  the  head  of  their  little  bodies  of 
men-at-arms  have  dispersed  the  cowardly  mob  of  Niort,  is 
what  we  may  believe  that  any  brave  gentleman  would  have 
done;  but  their  device  of  taking  the  priests  and  the  other 
leaders  as  hostages,  their  boldness  in  summoning  the  authori- 
ties of  Niort  under  the  threat  of  hanging  the  hostages  and 
capturing  the  town,  is  indeed  most  excellent  and  commend- 
able. I  heard  that  the  number  of  fugitives  from  Niort  was 


AN  IMPORTANT  MISSION  153 

nearly  six  hundred,  and  besides  these  there  were,  I  suppose, 
those  from  the  villages." 

"About  two  hundred  set  out  from  the  villages,  sir." 

"Eight  hundred  souls.  You  hear  that,  gentlemen;  eight 
hundred  souls  have  been  rescued  from  torture  and  death  by  the 
bravery  and  prudence  of  these  two  young  gentlemen,  who  are 
in  years  but  youths.  Let  it  be  a  lesson  to  us  all  of  what  can 
be  done  by  men  engaged  in  a  good  work,  and  placing  their 
trust  in  God.  There  is  not  one  of  us  but  might  have  felt  proud 
to  have  been  the  means  of  doing  so  great  and  good  a  work  with 
so  small  a  force,  and  to  have  saved  eight  hundred  lives  without 
the  loss  of  a  single  one,  to  say  nothing  of  the  sharp  lesson 
given  to  the  city  mobs  that  the  work  of  massacre  may  some- 
times recoil  upon  those  who  undertake  it.  Our  good  friend 
De  la  Nolle  has  more  than  once  spoken  very  highly  to  the 
Prince  and  myself  respecting  the  young  Count  and  this  young 
English  gentleman,  and  they  certainly  have  more  than  borne 
out  his  commendations." 

"And  more  than  that,"  the  Prince  put  in,  "I  myself  in  no 
small  degree  owe  my  life  to  them;  for  when  I  was  pinned 
down  by  my  horse  at  St.  Denis  they  were  among  the  foremost 
of  those  who  rushed  to  my  rescue.  Busy  as  I  was  I  had  time 
to  mark  well  how  stoutly  and  valiantly  they  fought.  Moreover, 
Monsieur  D'Arblay  has  spoken  to  me  in  the  highest  terms  of 
both  of  them,  but  especially  of  Monsieur  Fletcher,  who,  as  he 
declared,  saved  his  life  and  that  of  the  Count  de  Laville  by 
obtaining  their  release  from  the  dungeons  of  Toulouse  by 
some  such  device  as  that  he  has  used  at  Niort.  And  now, 
gentlemen,  supper  is  served.  Let  us  go  in  at  once;  we  must 
have  already  tried  the  patience  of  our  good  hosts,  who  are 
doing  their  best  to  entertain  us  right  royally,  and  whom  I  hope 
to  relieve  of  part  of  the  burden  in  a  very  few  days.  Monsieur 
Fletcher,  you  shall  sit  between  the  Admiral  and  myself,  for  you 
have  told  us  your  story  but  briefly,  and  afterwards  I  would  fain 
question  you  farther  as  to  that  affair  at  Toulouse." 

The  two  nobles,  indeed,  inquired  very  minutely  into  all  the 
incidents  of  the  fight.  By  closely  questioning  him  they 
learned  that  the  idea  of  forcing  the  peasants  to  lend  their 
horses  and  carts  to  convey  the  Huguenot  villagers'  goods  to 


154  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Laville  was  his  own,  and  occurred  to  him  just  as  he  was  about 
to  start  from  the  first  village  he  entered. 

"The  success  of  military  operations,"  the  Admiral  said, 
"  depends  greatly  upon  details.  It  is  one  thing  to  lay  out  a 
general  plan,  another  to  think  amid  the  bustle  and  excitement 
of  action  of  the  details,  upon  which  success  so  largely  de- 
pends; and  your  thought  of  making  the  men  who  were  about 
to  join  in  the  slaughter  of  their  fellow-villagers  the  means  of 
conveying  their  goods  and  chattels  to  a  place  of  safety  is  one 
that  shows  that  your  head  is  cool,  and  able  to  think  and  plan 
in  moments  when  most  men  would  be  carried  away  by  the 
excitement  of  the  occasion.  I  am  pleased  with  you,  sir,  and 
shall  feel  that  if  I  have  any  matter  on  hand  demanding  discre- 
tion and  prudence,  as  well  as  bravery,  I  can,  in  spite  of  your 
years,  confidently  intrust  you  with  it.  Are  you  thinking  of 
returning  to-morrow  to  Laville?  " 

"  I  was  intending  to  do  so,  sir.  It  may  be  that  the  people 
of  Niort  may  endeavour  to  revenge  the  stroke  that  we  have 
dealt  them,  and  the  forty  men  with  me  are  necessary  for  the 
defence  of  the  chateau." 

"I  do  not  think  there  is  any  fear  of  an  attack  from  Niort," 
the  Admiral  said.  "They  will  know  well  enough  that  our 
people  are  flocking  here  from  all  parts,  and  will  be  thinking 
of  defence  rather  than  of  attack,  knowing  that  while  we  are 
almost  within  striking  distance  the  royal  army  is  not  in  a 
condition  as  yet  to  march  from  Paris.  Where  are  you  resting 
for  the  night?" 

"My  troops  are  down  by  the  shore,  sir.  Seeing  how  full 
the  town  was  I  thought  it  was  not  worth  while  to  look  for 
quarters,  and  intended  to  sleep  down  there  among  them,  in 
readiness  for  an  early  start." 

"  Then  after  supper  I  would  that  you  go  down  to  them  and 
tell  them  not  to  be  surprised  if  you  do  not  join  them  till 
morning,  then  return  hither  for  the  night;  it  may  be  that  we 
may  want  to  speak  to  you  again." 

Late  in  the  evening  a  page  came  to  Philip,  and  saying  that 
the  Prince  wished  to  speak  with  him,  conducted  him  to  a  small 
apartment,  where  he  found  Conde"  and  the  Admiral. 

"  We  have  a  mission  with  which  we  would  intrust  you,  if  you 


AN  IMPORTANT   MISSION  155 

are  willing  to  undertake  it,"  the  Admiral  said;  "it  is  a  dan- 
gerous one,  and  demands  prudence  and  resource,  as  well  as 
courage.  It  seems  to  the  Prince  and  myself  that  you  possess 
these  qualities,  and  your  youth  may  enable  you  to  carry  out  the 
mission  perhaps  more  easily  than  another  would  do.  It  is  no 
less  than  to  carry  a  letter  from  the  Prince  and  myself  to  the 
Queen  of  Navarre.  She  is  at  present  at  Ne"rac.  Agents  of 
Catharine  have  been  trying  to  persuade  her  to  go  with  her  son 
to  Paris,  but  fortunately  she  discovered  that  there  was  a  plot 
to  seize  her  and  the  young  Prince  her  son  at  the  same  time 
that  we  were  to  be  entrapped  in  Burgundy.  De  Lossy,  who 
was  charged  with  the  mission  of  seizing  her  at  Tarbes,  was 
fortunately  taken  ill,  and  she  has  made  her  way  safely  up  to 
Nerac. 

"  All  Guyenne  swarms  with  her  enemies.  D'Escars  and  four 
thousand  Catholics  lie  scattered  along  from  Perigueux  to  Bor- 
deaux, and  other  bands  lie  beween  Perigueux  and  Tulle.  If 
once  past  those  dangers  her  course  is  barred  at  Angouleme, 
Cognac,  and  Saintes.  I  want  her  to  know  that  I  will  meet 
her  on  the  Charente.  I  do  not  say  that  I  shall  be  able  to  take 
those  three  towns,  but  I  will  besiege  them;  and  she  will  find 
me  outside  one  of  them  if  I  cannot  get  inside.  It  is  all  im- 
portant that  she  should  know  this,  so  that  she  may  judge 
whither  to  direct  her  course,  when  once  safely  across  the  river 
Dronne  and  out  of  Guyenne. 

"  I  dare  not  send  a  written  despatch,  for  were  it  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  Catholics  they  would  at  once  strengthen  the 
garrisons  of  the  town  on  the  Charente,  and  would  keep  so 
keen  a  watch  in  that  direction  that  it  would  be  impossible  for 
the  queen  to  pass.  I  will  give  you  a  ring,  a  gift  from  the 
queen  herself,  in  token  that  you  are  my  messenger,  and  that 
she  can  place  every  confidence  in  you.  I  will  leave  to  you 
the  choice  of  how  you  will  proceed.  You  can  take  some  of 
your  men-at-arms  with  you,  and  try  to  make  your  way  through 
with  a  sudden  dash;  but  as  the  bridges  and  fords  will  be 
strongly  watched,  I  think  that  it  will  be  much  wiser  for  you 
to  go  in  disguise,  either  with  or  without  a  companion.  Cer- 
tainty is  of  more  importance  than  speed.  I  found  a  commu- 
nication here,  sent  by  the  queen  before  she  started,  to  the 


156  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

authorities  of  the  town,  saying  that  she  should  try  to  make  her 
way  to  them,  and  she  knew  that  the  Prince  and  myself  would 
also  come  here  if  we  found  our  personal  safety  menaced  in 
Burgundy. 

"She  foresaw  that  her  difficulties  would  be  great,  and  re- 
quested that  if  we  arrived  here  we  would  send  her  word  as  to 
our  movements,  in  order  that  she  might  accommodate  hers  to 
them.  I  have  chosen  you  for  several  reasons,  one  being,  as 
I  have  told  you,  that  I  see  you  are  quick  at  forming  a  judg- 
ment and  cool  in  danger.  The  second  is  that  you  will  not  be 
known  to  any  of  the  enemy  whom  you  may  meet  on  your  way. 
Most  of  the  Huguenots  here  come  from  the  neighbouring 
provinces,  and  would  almost  certainly  be  recognized  by  Cath- 
olics from  the  same  neighbourhood.  Of  course  you  under- 
stand that  if  suspicion  should  fall  upon  you  of  being  a  mes- 
senger from  this  place,  you  will  have  but  a  short  shrift." 

"  I  am  quite  ready  to  do  my  best,  sir,  to  carry  out  your 
mission.  Personally  I  would  rather  ride  fast  with  half  a  dozen 
men-at-arms;  but,  doubtless,  as  you  say,  the  other  would  be 
the  surest  way.  I  will  take  with  me  my  servant,  who  is  shrewd 
and  full  of  resources,  and,  being  a  native  of  these  parts,  could 
pass  as  a  countryman  anywhere.  My  horses  and  my  four  men 
I  will  leave  here  until  my  return.  The  troop  will  of  course 
start  in  the  morning  for  Laville." 

"We  have  another  destination  for  them,"  the  Prince  said. 
"A  messenger  rode  yesterday  to  Laville,  to  bid  the  young 
Count  start  the  day  after  to-morrow  with  every  man  he  can 
raise  to  join  me  before  Niort,  for  which  place  I  set  out  to- 
morrow at  mid-day.  Of  course  we  had  no  idea  that  he  had 
already  come  to  blows  with  that  city,  but  we  resolved  to  make 
its  capture  our  first  enterprise,  seeing  that  it  blocks  the  prin- 
cipal road  from  Paris  hither,  and  is  indeed  a  natural  outpost 
of  La  Rochelle.  Niort  taken,  we  shall  push  on  and  capture 
Parthenay,  which  still  further  blocks  the  road,  and  whose  pos- 
session will  keep  a  door  open  for  our  friends  from  Brittany, 
Normandy,  and  the  north.  When  those  places  are  secured 
and  garrisoned,  we  can  then  set  about  clearing  out  the  Catho- 
lics from  the  towns  to  the  south." 

"  Very  well,  sir.     Then  I  will  give  orders  to  them  that  they 


AN   IMPORTANT   MISSION  157 

are  to  accompany  your  force  to-morrow,  and  join  the  Count 
before  Niort." 

"  Here  is  a  large  map  of  the  country  you  will  have  to  trav- 
erse. You  had  best  take  it  into  the  next  room  and  study  it 
carefully,  especially  the  course  and  direction  of  the  rivers 
and  the  points  of  crossing.  It  would  be  shorter,  perhaps,  if 
you  could  have  gone  by  boat  south  to  Arcachon  and  thence 
made  your  way  to  Nerac;  but  there  are  wide  dunes  to  be 
crossed,  and  pine-forests  to  be  travesed,  where  a  stranger 
might  well  die  of  hunger  and  thirst;  the  people  too  are  wild 
and  savage,  and  look  upon  strangers  with  great  suspicion,  and 
would  probably  have  no  compunction  in  cutting  your  throat. 
Moreover,  the  Catholics  have  a  flotilla  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Gironde,  and  there  would  be  difficulty  and  danger  in  passing. 

"  You  will,  of  course,  make  all  speed  that  you  can.  I  shall 
presently  see  some  of  the  council  of  the  town,  and  if  they  tell 
me  that  a  boat  can  take  you  down  the  coast  as  far  as  the 
Seudre,  some  ten  miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Gironde, 
you  will  avoid  the  difficulty  of  crossing  the  Boutonne  at  St. 
Jean  d'Angely,  and  the  Charente  at  Saintes  or  Cognac.  It 
would  save  you  a  quarter  of  your  journey.  I  expect  them 
shortly,  so  that  by  the  time  you  have  studied  the  map  I  shall 
be  able  to  tell  you  more." 

An  hour  later  Philip  was  again  summoned.  To  his  surprise 
he  found  Maitre  Bertram  with  the  Prince. 

"  Our  good  friend  here  tells  me  that  he  is  already  acquainted 
with  you,  Monsieur  Fletcher.  He  will  house  you  for  to- 
night, and  at  daybreak  put  you  on  board  a  small  coasting- 
vessel,  which  will  carry  you  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  Seudre. 
He  will  also  procure  for  you  whatever  disguises  you  may  re- 
quire for  yourself  and  your  attendant.  He  has  relations  with 
traders  in  many  of  the  towns.  Some  of  these  are  openly  of 
our  faith,  others  are  time-servers,  or  are  not  yet  sufficiently 
convinced  to  dare  persecution  and  death  for  its  sake.  He 
will  give  you  the  names  of  some  of  these,  and  you  may  at  a 
push  be  able  to  find  shelter  with  them,  obtain  a  guide,  or 
receive  other  assistance.  Here  is  the  ring.  Hide  it  care- 
fully on  the  way,  for  were  you  searched  a  ring  of  this  value 
would  be  considered  a  proof  that  you  were  3ot  what  you 


158  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

seemed.  You  quite  understand  my  message.  I  pray  the 
queen  to  trust  to  no  promises,  but  using  all  care  to  avoid 
those  who  would  stop  her,  to  come  north  as  speedily  as  pos- 
sible before  the  toils  close  round  her;  and  you  will  assure  her 
that  she  will  find  me  on  the  Charente,  and  that  I  shall  have 
either  taken  Cognac  or  be  occupied  in  besieging  it." 

"  If  I  fail,  sir,  it  shall  be  from  no  lack  of  prudence  on  my 
part,  and  I  hope  to  prove  myself  worthy  of  the  high  honour 
that  the  Prince  and  yourself  have  done  me  in  selecting  me 
for  the  mission." 

"Farewell  then,"  the  Admiral  said.  "I  trust  that  in  ten 
days'  time  I  shall  meet  you  at  Cognac.  I  have  arranged  with 
Maitre  Bertram,  who  will  furnish  you  with  the  funds  neces- 
sary for  your  expedition." 

Philip  bowed  deeply  to  the  two  nobles,  and  retired  with  the 
merchant.  He  had  directed  Pierre  to  remain  among  the 
lackeys  at  the  foot  of  the  grand  staircase,  as  he  would  be 
required  presently,  and  as  he  passed  through  he  beckoned  to 
him  to  follow. 

"You  have  seen  my  horses  comfortably  stabled,  Pierre?" 

"It  was  done  an  hour  since,  monsieur." 

"  And  my  four  men  understand  that  they  are  to  remain  here 
in  charge  of  them  until  I  return?  " 

"Yes,  sir.  Their  own  horses  are  also  bestowed  here,  and 
mine." 

"Very  well.     We  sleep  to-night  at  Maitre  Bertram's." 

"I  am  right  glad  to  hear  it,  sir;  for  truly  this  castle  is  full 
from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  and  I  love  not  to  sleep  in  a 
crowd." 

"You  still  have  Pierre  with  you?"  the  merchant  said. 

"Yes;  and  he  has  turned  out  an  excellent  servant.  It  was 
a  fortunate  day  for  me  when  I  insisted  on  taking  him  in  spite 
of  your  warning.  He  is  a  merry  varlet,  and  yet  knows  when 
to  joke  and  when  to  hold  his  peace.  He  is  an  excellent 
forager," — "Ah!  that  I  warrant  he  is,"  Maitre  Bertram  put 
in, — "and  can  cook  a  dinner  or  a  supper  with  any  man  in  the 
army.  I  would  not  part  with  him  on  any  consideration." 

"  A  fellow  of  that  sort,  Master  Fletcher,  is  sure  to  turn  out 
either  a  rogue  or  a  handy  fellow.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  he 


AN   IMPORTANT   MISSION  159 

has  proved  the  latter.  Here  we  are  at  the  house.  At  ordi- 
nary times  we  should  all  be  abed  and  asleep  at  this  hour,  but 
the  place  is  turned  upside  down  since  the  Prince  and  the 
Admiral  arrived;  for  every  citizen  has  taken  in  as  many  men 
as  his  house  will  hold.  I  have  four  gentlemen  and  twenty  of 
their  retainers  lodging  here;  but  I  will  take  you  to  my  own 
den,  where  we  can  talk  undisturbed,  for  there  is  much  to 
say  and  to  arrange  as  to  this  expedition  of  yours,  in  which 
there  is  more  peril  than  I  should  like  to  encounter.  How- 
ever, that  is  your  affair.  You  have  undertaken  it,  and  there 
is  nought  for  me  to  do  save  to  try  and  make  it  as  successful 
as  possible.  You  have  already  „  been  studying  the  map,  I 
hear,  and  know  something  of  the  route.  I  have  a  good  map 
myself,  and  we  will  follow  the  way  together  upon  it.  It  would 
be  as  well  to  see  whether  your  rascal  knows  anything  of  the 
country.  In  some  of  his  wanderings  he  may  have  gone 
south." 

"I  will  question  him,"  Philip  said;  and  reopening  the 
door  of  the  room  he  told  Pierre,  whom  he  had  bidden  follow 
him  upstairs,  to  enter.  "I  am  going  down  into  Gascony, 
Pierre;  it  matters  not  at  present  upon  what  venture.  I  am 
going  to  start  to-morrow  at  daylight  in  a  craft  of  Maitre  Ber- 
tram's, which  will  land  me  ten  miles  this  side  the  mouth  of 
the  Gironde,  by  which,  as  you  will  see,  I  avoid  having  to  cross 
the  Charente,  where  the  bridges  are  all  in  the  hands  of  the 
Catholics.  I  am  going  in  disguise,  and  I  propose  taking  you 
with  me." 

"It  is  all  one  to  me,  sir.  Where  you  go  I  am  ready  to 
follow  you.  I  have  been  at  Bordeaux,  but  no  farther  south. 
I  don't  know  whether  you  think  that  three  would  be  too  many. 
Your  men  are  all  Gascons,  and  one  or  other  of  them  might 
know  the  part  of  the  country  you  wish  to  travel." 

"I  had  not  thought  of  it,"  Philip  said;  "but  the  idea  is  a 
good  one.  It  would  depend  greatly  upon  our  disguises." 

"  Do  you  travel  as  a  man-at-arms,  or  as  a  countryman,  or  a 
pedlar,  or  maybe  as  a  priest,  sir?  " 

"Not  as  a  priest,  assuredly,"  Philip  laughed.  "I  am  too 
young  for  that." 

"  Too  young  to  be  in  full  orders,  but  not  too  young  to  be  a 


160  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

theological  student:  one  going  from  a  theological  seminary 
at  Bordeuax  to  be  initiated  at  Perigueux,  or  further  south  to 
Agen." 

Philip  shook  his  head.  "  I  should  be  found  out  by  the  first 
priest  who  questioned  me." 

"  Then,  sir,  we  might  go  with  sacks  of  ware  on  our  backs 
as  travelling  pedlars;  or,  on  the  other  hand,  we  might  be  on 
our  way  to  take  service  under  the  Catholic  leaders.  If  so  we 
might  carry  steel  caps  and  swords,  which  methinks  would  suit 
you  better  than  either  a  priest's  cowl  or  a  pedlar's  pack.  In 
that  case  there  might  well  be  three  of  us,  or  even  four.  Two 
of  your  men-at-arms  would  go  as  old  soldiers,  and  you  and  I 
as  young  relations  of  theirs,  anxious  to  turn  our  hands  to 
soldiering.  Once  in  Gascony  their  dialect  would  help  us 
rarely,  and  our  story  should  pass  without  difficulty;  and  even 
on  the  way  it  would  not  be  without  its  use,  for  the  story  that 
they  have  been  living  near  La  Rochelle,  but  owing  to  the  con- 
course of  Huguenots  could  no  longer  stay  there,  and  were 
therefore  making  south  to  see  in  the  first  place  their  friends 
at  home  and  then  to  take  service  under  some  Catholic  lord, 
would  sound  likely  enough." 

"I  don't  know  that  we  can  contrive  a  better  scheme  than 
that,  Maitre  Bertram.  What  do  you  think?  " 

"It  promises  well,"  the  trader  agreed.  "Do  you  know 
what  part  of  Gascony  these  men  come  from,  Pierre?  " 

"They  come  from  near  Dax." 

"That  matters  little,"  Philip  said,  "seeing  that  it  is  only 
to  the  south  of  Guyenne  that  we  are  bound.  Still,  they  will 
probably  have  traversed  the  province  often,  and  in  any  case 
there  should  be  no  trouble  in  finding  our  way,  seeing  that 
Agen  lies  on  the  Garonne,  and  we  shall  only  have  to  keep 
near  the  river  all  the  way  from  the  point  where  we  are  landed. 
Our  great  difficulty  will  be  in  crossing  the  Dordogne,  the 
Dronne,  and  the  Lot,  all  of  which  we  *are  likely  to  find 
guarded." 

"  If  you  can  manage  to  cross  the  Garonne  here,  near  Lan- 
gon,"  the  merchant  said,  placing  his  finger  on  the  map,  "you 
would  avoid  the  two  last  rivers,  and  by  keeping  west  of  Bazas 
you  would  be  able  to  reach  Ne"rac  without  difficulty.  You 


AN   IMPORTANT   MISSION  161 

have  to  cross  somewhere,  and  it  might  be  as  easy  there  as  at 
Agen." 

"That  is  so,"  Philip  agreed;  "at  any  rate  we  will  try  there 
first.  I  don't  know  which  of  the  men  I  had  best  take  with 
me.  They  are  all  shrewd  fellows,  as  Gascons  generally  are, 
so  I  don't  know  how  to  make  my  choice." 

"I  don't  think  there  is  much  difference,  sir,"  Pierre  said. 
"  I  have  seen  enough  of  them  to  know  at  least  that  they  are 
all  honest  fellows." 

"I  would  let  them  decide  the  matter  for  themselves," 
Philip  said.  "Some  might  like  to  go,  and  some  to  stay 
behind.  If  I  chose  two  the  others  might  consider  themselves 
slighted.  Do  you  know  where  "they  have  bestowed  them- 
selves, Pierre?  " 

"  Down  in  the  stables  with  the  horses,  sir.  I  could  pretty 
well  put  my  hand  on  them  in  the  dark." 

"  Well,  go  and  fetch  them  hither,  then.  Say  nothing  about 
the  business  on  which  they  are  required." 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  Pierre  returned  with  the  four  men. 
Philip  explained  to  them  briefly  that  he  wanted  two  of  them 
to  journey  with  him  on  a  mission  of  some  danger  through 
Guyenne. 

"I  have  sent  for  you  all,"  he  said,  "in  order  that  you 
might  arrange  among  yourselves  which  two  shall  go;  there- 
fore do  you  settle  the  matter,  and  if  you  cannot  agree  then 
cast  lots  and  leave  it  to  fortune.  Only,  as  you  are  two  sets  of 
brothers,  these  had  best  either  go  or  stay  together;  therefore 
if  you  cast  lots  do  it  not  singly,  but  two  against  two." 

"We  may  as  well  do  it  at  once,  Monsieur  Philip,"  Eustace 
said.  "  I  know  beforehand  that  we  would  all  choose  to  follow 
you;  therefore  if  you  will  put  two  papers  into  my  steel  cap, 
one  with  my  name,  and  one  with  Jacques',  Pierre  shall  draw. 
If  he  takes  out  the  one  with  my  name,  then  I  and  Henri  will 
go  with  you;  if  he  draws  Jacques',  then  he  and  Roger  shall 
go." 

This  was  done,  and  Jacques  and  Roger  won. 

"You  will  have  plenty  to  do  while  we  are  away,"  Philip  said 
to  Eustace.  "There  will  be  seven  horses  to  look  after,  in- 
cluding my  chargers." 


162  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"How  long  are  you  likely  to  be  away,  sir?  " 

"I  may  return  in  ten  days,  I  may  be  away  three  weeks. 
Should  any  evil  chance  befall  us  you  will  take  the  horses  ovei 
to  Laville,  and  hand  them  over  to  my  cousin,  who  will,  I  am 
sure,  gladly  take  you  and  Henri  into  his  service.  As  we 
leave  here  at  daybreak,  you,  Jacques,  arid  your  brother  Roger 
had  better  wrap  yourselves  up  in  your  cloaks  and  lie  down  in 
the  hall  below.  I  would  that  we  could  in  the  morning  pro- 
cure clothes  for  you,  older  and  more  worn  than  those  you  have 
on.  You  are  going  as  men  who  have  formerly  served,  but 
have  since  been  living  in  a  village  tilling  the  land,  just  as 
you  were  when  you  first  joined  me." 

"Then  we  have  the  very  clothes  ready  to  hand,"  Jacques 
said.  "When  we  joined  you  we  left  ours  with  a  friend  in  the 
town  to  hold  for  us.  There  is  no  saying  how  long  military 
service  may  last,  and  as  our  clothes  were  serviceable  we  laid 
them  by.  We  can  go  round  and  get  them  the  first  thing  in 
the  morning,  leaving  these  we  wear  in  his  care  until  we 
return." 

"  That  will  do  well ;  but  you  must  be  up  early,  for  it  is  im- 
portant we  should  make  our  start  as  soon  as  possible." 

"  I  also  have  my  old  clothes  held  in  keeping  for  me  by  one 
who  worked  in  the  stable  with  me,"  Pierre  said.  "A  man 
who  is  going  to  the  war  can  always  find  others  ready  to  take 
charge  of  whatever  he  may  leave  behind,  knowing  full  well 
that  the  chances  are  that  he  will  never  return  to  claim  them." 

"That  simplifies  matters,"  Maitre  Bertram  said.  "There 
remains  only  your  dress,  Monsieur  Philip;  and  I  shall  have 
no  difficulty  in  getting  from  my  own  knaves  a  doublet,  cloak, 
and  other  things  to  suit  you.  I  have  plenty  of  steel  caps  and 
swords  in  my  warehouse." 

"You  had  best  leave  your  breast-pieces  here,"  Philip  said 
to  the  men;  "the  number  of  those  who  carry  them  is  small, 
and  it  will  be  enough  to  have  steel  caps  and  swords.  We  are 
going  to  walk  fast  and  far,  and  the  less  weight  we  carry  the 
better." 


PHILIP   AND    HIS   FOLLOWERS    EMBARKING. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  QUEEN   OF,.  NAVARRE 

THE  sun  had  just  risen,  when  Maitre  Bertram,  accompanied 
by  four  men  in  the  attire  of  peasants,  went  down  to  the 
port.  Two  of  them  wore  steel  caps,  and  had  the  appearance 
of  discharged  soldiers,  the  other  two  looked  like  fresh  country- 
men, and  wore  the  low  caps  in  use  by  the  peasantry  on  their 
heads,  carrying  steel  caps  slung  by  cords  from  their  shoulder; 
all  four  had  swords  stuck  into  their  leathern  belts.  Similar 
groups  might  have  been  seen  in  hundreds  all  over  France, 
making  their  way  to  join  the  forces  of  the  contending  parties. 
The  craft  upon  which  the  trader  led  them  was  a  small  one  of 
four  or  five  tons  burden,  manned  by  three  men  and  a  boy. 

"You  understand,  Johan,  if  you  meet  with  no  interruption 
you  will  land  your  passengers  at  the  mouth  of  the  Seudre; 
but  if  you  should  come  across  any  of  the  craft  that  have  been 
hovering  about  the  coast,  and  find  that  they  are  too  fast  for 
you,  put  them  ashore  wherever  they  may  direct.  If  you  are 
too  hotly  chased  to  escape  after  landing  them,  you  had  best 
also  disembark  and  make  your  way  back  by  land  as  best  you 
can,  leaving  them  to  do  what  they  will  with  the  boat.  As  like 
as  not  they  would  cut  your  throats  did  they  take  you,  and  if 
not,  would  want  to  know  whom  you  had  landed  and  other 
matters.  I  do  not  want  to  lose  the  craft,  which  has  done  me 
good  service  in  her  time,  and  is  a  handy  little  coaster,  but  I 
would  rather  lose  it  than  that  you  should  fall  into  the  hands  of 
the  Bordeaux  boats  and  get  into  trouble.  The  fact  that  you 
made  for  shore  to  land  passengers  would  be  sufficient  to  show 

163 


164  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

that  those  passengers  were  of  some  importance.  Now  good 
luck  to  you,  Master  Philip;  I  trust  to  see  you  back  here  again 
before  long." 

They  kept  straight  out  from  La  Rochelle  to  the  Isle  of 
Ole"ron,  and  held  along  close  to  its  shore,  lest  boats  coming 
out  from  the  Charente  might  overhaul  them.  From  the 
southern  end  of  the  island  it  was  only  a  run  of  some  eight 
miles  into  the  mouth  of  the  Seudre.  A  brisk  wind  had  blown, 
and  they  made  the  forty  miles  voyage  in  seven  hours.  They 
could  see  several  white  sails  far  to  the  south  as  they  ran  in, 
but  had  met  with  nothing  to  disquiet  them  on  the  way. 
They  were  rowed  ashore  in  the  little  boat  the  craft  carried, 
and  landed  among  some  sand-hills,  among  which  they  at  once 
struck  off  and  walked  briskly  for  a  mile  inland,  so  as  to  avoid 
any  questionings  from  persons  they  might  meet  as  to  where 
they  had  come  from.  Jacques  and  his  brother  carried  bags 
slung  over  their  shoulders,  and  in  these  was  a  store  of  food  with 
which  the  merchant  had  provided  them,  and  two  or  three  flasks 
of  good  wine,  so  that  they  might  make  a  day's  journey  at  least 
without  having  to  stop  to  purchase  food. 

It  was  two  o'clock  when  they  landed,  and  they  had  therefore 
some  five  hours  of  daylight,  and  before  this  had  faded  they 
had  passed  Royan,  situated  on  the  Gironde.  They  did  not 
approach  the  town,  but  keeping  behind  it  came  down  upon 
the  road  running  along  the  shore  three  miles  beyond  it,  and 
walked  along  it  until  about  ten  o'clock,  by  which  time  all  were 
thoroughly  tired  with  their  unaccustomed  exercise.  Leaving 
the  road,  they  found  a  sheltered  spot  among  the  sand-hills,  ate 
a  hearty  meal,  and  then  lay  down  to  sleep.  They  were  afoot 
again  at  daylight.  The  country  was  sparsely  populated.  They 
passed  through  a  few  small  villages,  but  no  place  of  any 
importance,  until,  late  in  the  afternoon,  they  approached 
Blaye,  after  a  long  day's  tramp.  As  they  thought  that  here 
they  might  learn  something  of  the  movements  of  the  large 
body  of  Catholic  troops  Philip  had  heard  of  as  guarding  the 
passages  of  the  Dordogne,  they  determined  to  enter  the  town. 
They  passed  through  the  gates  half  an  hour  before  they  were 
closed,  and  entered  a  small  cabaret.  Here,  calling  for  some 
bread  and  common  wine,  they  sat  down  in  a  corner,  and  lis- 


THE   QUEEN   OF  NAVARRE  165 

tened  to  the  talk  of  the  men  who  were  drinking  there.  It  was 
all  about  the  movements  of  troops,  and  the  scraps  of  news  that 
had  come  in  from  all  quarters. 

"I  don't  know  who  they  can  be  all  arming  against,"  one 
said.  "The  Queen  of  Navarre  has  no  troops,  and  even  if  a 
few  hundreds  of  Huguenots  joined  her,  what  could  she  do? 
As  to  Cond£  and  the  Admiral,  they  have  been  hunted  all  over 
France  ever  since  they  left  Noyers.  They  say  they  hadn't  fifty 
men  with  them.  It  seems  to  me  they  are  making  a  great  fuss 
about  nothing." 

"I  have  just  heard  a  report,"  a  man  who  had  two  or  three 
minutes  before  entered  the  roonvsaid,  "  to  the  effect  that  they 
arrived  four  days  since  at  La  Rochelle,  with  some  five  or  six 
hundred  men  who  joined  them  on  the  way." 

An  exclamation  of  surprise  broke  from  his  hearers. 

"Then  we  shall  have  trouble,"  one  exclaimed.  "La  Ro- 
chelle is  a  hard  nut  to  crack  in  itself,  and  if  the  Prince  and 
the  Admiral  have  got  in  the  Huguenots  from  all  the  country 
round  will  rally  there,  and  may  give  a  good  deal  of  trouble 
after  all.  What  can  the  Catholic  lords  have  been  about  that 
they  managed  to  let  them  slip  through  their  hands  in  that  way? 
They  must  have  seen  for  some  time  that  they  were  making  for 
the  one  place  where  they  would  be  safe,  unless  indeed  they 
were  making  down  for  Navarre.  That  would  account  for  the 
way  in  which  all  the  bridges  and  fords  across  the  rivers  are 
being  watched." 

"I  expect  they  are  watching  both  ways,"  another  jaid. 
"  These  Huguenots  always  seem  to  know  what  is  going  on,  and 
it  is  likely  enough,  that  while  our  people  all  thought  that 
Cond£  was  making  for  Germany,  there  was  not  a  Huguenot 
throughout  France  who  did  not  know  he  was  coming  west  to 
La  Rochelle,  and  if  so,  they  will  be  moving  in  all  directions 
to  join  him  there,  and  that  is  why  D'Escars  has  got  such  a 
force  at  all  the  bridges.  I  heard  from  a  man  who  came  in 
yesterday  that  the  Lot  is  watched  just  as  sharply  from  the 
Garonne  through  Cahors  right  on  to  Espalion,  and  he  had 
heard  that  at  Agen  and  along  the  Aveyron  the  troops  hold  the 
bridges  and  fords  as  if  they  expected  an  enemy.  No  doubt, 
as  soon  as  they  hear  that  Cond£  and  his  party  are  in  La 


166  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Rochelle  they  will  close  round  them  and  catch  them  in  a  trap. 
That  will  be  as  good  as  any  other  way,  and  save  much  trouble. 
It  is  a  long  chase  to  catch  a  pack  of  wolves  scattered  all  over 
the  country,  but  one  can  make  short  work  of  them  all  when 
you  get  them  penned  up  in  an  inclosure." 

Philip  cast  a  warning  glance  at  his  companions,  for  he  felt 
so  inclined  to  retort  himself  that  he  feared  they  might  give 
way  to  a  similar  impulse.  Jacques  and  his  brother,  however, 
were  munching  their  bread  stolidly,  while  Pierre  was  looking 
at  the  speaker,  with  a  face  so  full  of  admiring  assent  to  his 
remark  that  Philip  had  to  struggle  hard  to  repress  a  laugh. 

"It  must  be  owned,"  another  of  the  group  said,  "that  these 
wolves  bite  hard.  I  was  in  Paris  last  year  with  the  Count  de 
Caussac.  Well,  we  laughed  when  we  saw  the  three  parties  of 
white  wolves  ride  out  from  St.  Denis;  but  I  tell  you  there  was 
no  laughing  when  they  got  among  us.  We  were  in  the  Con- 
stable's troop,  and  though,  as  far  as  I  know,  we  were  all  pretty 
stout  men-at-arms,  and  were  four  to  one  against  them  at  least, 
we  had  little  to  boast  of  when  the  fight  was  over.  At  any  rate, 
I  got  a  mark  of  the  wolves'  teeth,  which  has  put  a  stop  to  my 
hunting,  as  you  see,"  and  he  held  out  his  arm.  "I  left  my 
right  hand  on  the  field  of  battle.  It  was  in  the  fight  round 
Conde*.  A  young  Huguenot — for  he  was  smooth-faced,  and 
but  a  youth — shred  it  off  with  a  sweeping  back-handed  blow 
as  if  it  had  been  a  twig.  So  there  is  no  more  wolf-hunting  for 
me ;  but  even  if  I  had  my  right  hand  back  again  I  should  not 
care  for  any  more  such  rough  sport  as  that." 

Philip  congratulated  himself  that  he  was  sitting  with  his 
back  to  the  speaker,  for  he  remembered  the  incident  well,  and 
it  was  his  arm  that  had  struck  the  blow.  His  visor  had  been 
up,  but  as  his  face  was  shaded  by  the  helmet  and  cheek-pieces, 
and  the  man  could  have  obtained  but  a  passing  glance  at  him, 
he  felt  sure  on  reflection  that  he  would  not  be  recognized. 

"Ah!  well,  we  shall  do  better  this  time,"  the  first  speaker 
said.  "  We  are  better  prepared  than  we  were  then,  and  except 
La  Rochelle  and  four  or  five  small  towns,  every  place  in  France 
is  in  our  hands.  I  expect  the  next  news  will  be  that  the 
Prince  and  Coligny  and  the  others  have  taken  ship  for  England. 
Then  when  that  pestilent  Queen  of  Navarre  and  her  boy  are  in 


THE   QUEEN   OF  NAVARRE  167 

our  hands  the  whole  thing  will  be  over,  and  the  last  edict  will 
be  carried  out,  and  each  Huguenot  will  have  the  choice 
between  the  mass  and  the  gallows.  Well,  I  will  have  one  more 
stoup  of  wine,  and  then  I  will  be  off,  for  we  march  at  day- 
break." 

"How  many  ride  out  with  you? "  the  man  who  had  lost  his 
hand  asked. 

"  A  hundred.  The  town  has  voted  the  funds,  and  we  march 
to  join  D'Escars  to-morrow.  I  believe  we  are  not  going  to 
Perigueux,  but  are  to  be  stationed  somewhere  on  the  lower 
Dordogne  to  prevent  any  of  the  Huguenots  from  the  south 
making  their  way  towards  La  Rochelle." 

The  frequenters  of  the  cabaret  presently  dropped  off. 
Jacques,  who  acted  as  spokesman,  had  on  entering  asked  the 
landlord  if  they  could  sleep  there,  and  he  said  there  was 
plenty  of  good  hay  in  the  loft  over  the  stable.  As  his  duties 
were  now  over,  he  came  across  to  them. 

"Which  way  are  you  going,  lads?"  he  asked.  "Are  you 
bound  like  the  others  to  join  one  of  the  lords  on  the  Dor- 
dogne?" 

"No,"  Jacques  said,  "we  are  bound  for  Agen.  We  come 
from  near  there." 

"I  thought  your  tongue  had  a  smack  of  Gascon  in  it." 

"Yes,  we  come  from  across  the  border.  We  are  tired  of 
hard  work  in  the  vineyards,  and  are  going  to  take  up  with  our 
own  trade,  for  my  comrade  here  and  I  served  under  De  Brissac 
in  Italy;  we  would  rather  enlist  under  our  own  lord  than  under 
a  stranger." 

"Yes,  that  I  can  understand,"  the  landlord  said;  "but  you 
will  find  it  no  easy  work  travelling  at  present,  when  every 
bridge  and  ford  across  the  rivers  is  watched  by  armed  men, 
and  all  who  pass  are  questioned  sharply  as  to  their  business." 

"Well,  if  they  won't  let  us  pass,"  Jacques  said  carelessly, 
"we  must  join  some  leader  here;  though  I  should  like  to  have 
had  a  few  days  at  home  first." 

"  Your  best  plan  would  have  been  to  have  gone  by  boat  to 
Bordeaux.  There  has  been  a  strong  wind  from  the  west  for 
the  last  three  days,  and  it  would  save  you  many  a  mile  of 
weary  tramping." 


168  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"That  it  would,"  Jacques  said;  "but  could  one  get  a  pas- 
sage?" 

"  There  will  be  no  difficulty  about  that.  There  is  not  a  day 
passes,  now  that  the  wind  is  fair,  that  three  or  four  boats  do 
not  go  off  to  Bordeaux  with  produce  from  the  farms  and  vine- 
yards. Of  course  you  wouldn't  get  up  without  paying;  but  I 
suppose  you  are  not  without  something  in  your  pockets. 
There  is  a  cousin  of  mine,  a  farmer,  who  is  starting  in  the 
morning,  and  has  chartered  a  boat  to  carry  his  produce.  If  I 
say  a  word  to  him  I  have  no  doubt  he  would  give  the  four  of 
you  a  passage  for  a  crown." 

"What  do  you  say,  comrades ?"  Jacques  said.  "It  would 
save  us  some  thirty  or  forty  miles  walking,  and  perhaps  some 
expense  for  ferrys,  to  say  nought  of  trouble  with  the  troops, 
who  are  apt  enough  moreover  to  search  the  pockets  of  those 
who  pass." 

"I  think  it  would  be  a  good  plan,"  his  brother  replied; 
and  the  other  two  also  assented. 

"Very  well  then,"  the  landlord  said;  "my  cousin  will  be 
here  in  the  morning,  for  he  is  going  to  leave  two  or  three 
barrels  of  last  year's  vintage  with  me.  By  the  way,  I  daresay 
he  will  be  easy  with  you  as  to  the  passage-money,  if  you  agree 
to  help  him  carry  up  his  barrels  to  the  magasins  of  the  mer- 
chant he  deals  with,  and  aid  him  with  his  other  goods.  It 
will  save  him  from  having  to  employ  men  there,  and  those 
porters  of  Bordeaux  know  how  to  charge  pretty  high  for  their 
services.  I  will  make  you  up  a  basket  for  your  journey.  Shall 
I  say  a  bottle  of  wine  each  and  some  bread,  and  a  couple  of 
dozen  eggs,  which  I  will  get  boiled  hard  for  you?  " 

"That  will  do  well,  landlord,"  Jacques  said,  "and  we  thank 
you  for  having  put  us  in  the  way  of  saving  our  legs  to-morrow. 
What  time  do  you  think  your  cousin  will  be  in?  " 

"  He  will  have  his  carts  at  the  gates  by  the  time  they  open 
them.  He  is  not  one  to  waste  time;  besides,  every  minute  is 
of  importance;  for  with  this  wind  he  may  well  hope  to  arrive 
in  Bordeaux  in  time  to  get  his  cargo  discharged  by  nightfall." 

"That  was  a  lucky  stroke  indeed,"  Philip  said  when  they 
had  gained  the  loft,  and  the  landlord,  having  hung  up  a  lan- 
tern, had  left  them  alone.  "  Half  our  difficulties  will  be  over 


THE   QUEEN   OF  NAVARRE  169 

when  we  get  to  Bordeaux.  I  had  began  to  fear,  from  what  we 
heard  of  the  watch  they  are  keeping  at  the  bridges,  that  we 
should  have  found  it  a  very  difficult  matter  crossing  the  rivers. 
Once  out  of  Bordeaux  the  Ciron  is  the  only  stream  we  shall 
have  to  cross,  and  that  is  but  a  small  river,  and  is  not  likely 
to  be  watched,  for  no  one  making  his  way  from  the  south  to 
La  Rochelle  would  keep  to  the  west  of  the  Garonne." 

They  were  downstairs  by  six,  had  a  meal  of  bread  and  spiced 
wine,  and  soon  after  seven  there  was  a  rumble  of  carts  outside, 
and  two  of  them  stopped  at  the  cabaret.  They  were  laden 
principally  with  barrels  of  wine;  but  in  one  the  farmer's  wife 
was  sitting  surrounded  by  baskets  of  eggs,  fowls,  and  ducks, 
and  several  casks  of  butter.  Three  of  the  casks  of  wine  were 
taken  down  and  carried  into  the  house.  The  landlord  had  a 
chat  apart  with  his  cousin,  who  then  came  forward  to  where 
they  were  sitting  at  a  table. 

"  My  cousin  tells  me  you  want  to  go  to  Bordeaux,  and  are 
willing  to  help  load  my  boat,  and  to  carry  the  barrels  to  the 
warehouse  at  Bordeaux  in  return  for  a  passage.  Well,  I  agree 
to  the  bargain ;  the  warehouse  is  not  very  far  from  the  wharf, 
but  the  men  there  charge  an  extortionate  price." 

"We  will  do  your  work,"  Jacques  said. 

"  But  how  am  to  I  know  that  when  you  land  you  will  not  slip 
away  without  fulfilling  your  share  of  the  bargain?  "  the  farmer 
asked.  "  You  look  honest  fellows,  but  soldiers  are  not  gentry 
to  be  always  depended  upon.  I  mean  no  offence,  but  business 
is  business,  you  know." 

Jacques  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket.  "Here  is  a  crown," 
he  said.  "  I  will  hand  it  over  to  you  as  earnest;  if  we  do  not 
do  your  work,  you  can  keep  that  to  pay  the  hire  of  the  men  to 
carry  your  barrels." 

"That  is  fair  enough,"  the  farmer  said,  pocketing  the  coin. 
"Now  let  us  go  without  delay." 

The  landlord  had  already  been  paid  for  the  supper  of  the 
night  before,  the  lodging,  and  the  contents  of  the  basket,  and 
without  more  words  they  set  out  with  the  cart  to  the  river  side. 
Here  the  boat  was  in  waiting,  and  they  at  once  set  to  work 
with  the  drivers  of  the  two  carts  to  transfer  their  contents  to 
it.  As  they  were  as  anxious  as  the  farmer  that  no  time  should 


170  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

be  lost,  they  worked  hard,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  all  was 
on  board.  They  took  their  places  in  the  bow,  the  farmer,  his 
wife,  and  the  two  boatmen  being  separated  from  them  by  the 
pile  of  barrels.  The  sail  was  at  once  hoisted,  and  as  the  west 
wind  was  still  blowing  strongly  Blaye  was  soon  left  behind. 

"This  is  better  than  walking  by  a  long  way,"  Philip  said. 
"  We  are  out  of  practice,  and  my  feet  are  tender  from  the  tramp 
from  the  coast.  It  would  have  taken  us  two  days  to  get  to 
Bordeaux  even  if  we  had  no  trouble  in  crossing  the  Dordogne, 
and  every  hour  is  of  importance.  I  hope  we  may  get  out  of 
the  city  before  the  gates  close,  then  we  shall  be  able  to  push 
on  all  night." 

They  passed  several  islands  on  their  way,  and  after  four 
hours'  run  saw  the  walls  and  spires  of  Bourg,  where  the  Dor- 
dogne unites  with  the  Garonne  to  form  the  great  estuary  known 
as  the  Gironde.  At  three  o'clock  they  were  alongside  the 
wharves  of  Bordeaux.  They  stowed  away  their  steel  caps  and 
swords,  and  at  once  prepared  to  carry  up  the  barrels. 

"Do  you  make  an  excuse  to  move  off,  master,"  Pierre  said; 
"we  three  will  soon  get  these  barrels  into  the  store,  and  it  is 
no  fitting  work  for  you." 

"Honest  work  is  fitting  work,  Pierre;  and  methinks  that 
my  shoulders  are  stronger  than  yours.  I  have  had  my  sail,  and 
I  am  going  to  pay  for  it  by  my  share  of  the  work." 

The  store  was  nearer  than  Philip  had  expected  to  find  it. 
A  wide  road  ran  along  by  the  river  bank,  and  upon  the 
other  side  of  this  was  a  line  of  low  warehouses,  all  occupied 
by  the  wine  merchants,  who  purchased  the  produce  of  their 
vineyards  from  the  growers,  and,  after  keeping  it  until  it 
matured,  supplied  France  and  foreign  countries  with  it.  Sev- 
eral ships  lay  by  the  wharves.  Some  were  bound  for  England, 
others  for  Holland;  some  were  freighted  for  the  northern  ports 
of  France,  and  some  of  smaller  size  for  Paris  itself.  Several 
men  came  up  to  offer  their  services  as  soon  as  the  boat  was 
alongside;  and  these,  when  they  saw  that  the  owner  of  the 
wines  had  brought  men  with  them  who  would  transport  the 
wine  to  the  warehouses,  indulged  in  some  rough  jeers  before 
moving  away.  In  the  first  place  Philip  and  his  companions, 
aided  by  the  boatmen,  carried  the  cargo  ashore,  while  the 


THE   QUEEN   OF  NAVARRE  171 

farmer  crossed  the  road  to  the  merchant  with  whom  he  dealt. 
His  store  was  not  more  than  fifty  yards  from  the  place  of 
landing,  and  as  soon  as  he  returned  the  work  began.  In  an 
hour  and  a  half  the  whole  of  the  barrels  were  carried  over. 
The  farmer's  wife  had  seen  to  the  carriage  of  her  portion  of 
the  cargo  to  the  inn  her  husband  frequented  on  these  occa- 
sions. It  was  close  to  the  market-place,  and  there  she  would, 
as  soon  as  the  market  opened  in  the  morning,  dispose  of 
them,  and  by  nine  o'clock  they  would  be  on  board  again. 
When  the  last  barrel  was  carried  into  the  store,  the  farmer 
handed  Jacques  the  crown  he  had  taken  as  pledge  for  the  per- 
formance of  the  bargain. 

"You  are  smart  fellows,"  he  said,  "and  nimble.  The  same 
number  of  these  towns-fellows  would  have  taken  double  the 
time  that  you  have  done,  and  I  must  have  had  six  at  least  to 
have  got  the  wine  safely  stored  before  nightfall." 

"We  are  well  contented  with  our  bargain,"  Jacques  said; 
"  it  is  better  to  work  hard  for  two  hours  than  to  walk  for  two 
days.  So  good-day  to  you,  master,  for  we  shall  get  on  our 
way  at  once,  and  do  not  want  to  spend  our  money  in  the  wine- 
shops here." 

Possessing  themselves  of  their  steel  caps  and  swords  again, 
they  made  their  way  through  the  busy  town  to  the  south  gates, 
through  which  a  stream  of  peasants  with  carts,  horses,  and 
donkeys  was  passing  out,  having  disposed  of  the  produce  they 
had  brought  in. 

"Where  are  you  bound  to,  you  two  with  steel  caps?  ''  the 
officer  at  the  gate  asked. 

Jacques  and  his  brother  paused,  while  Philip  and  Pierre, 
who  had  stowed  their  caps  in  the  bundles  they  carried,  went 
on  without  stopping,  as  it  had  previously  been  agreed  that  in 
case  of  one  or  more  of  his  followers  being  stopped,  Philip 
should  continue  his  way,  as  it  was  urgent  that  he  should  not 
suffer  anything  to  delay  him  in  the  delivery  of  his  message. 
He  waited,  however,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  gates,  and 
the  two  men  then  rejoined  him. 

"We  had  no  difficulty,  sir,"  Jacques  said.  "We  said  that 
we  once  had  served  and  were  going  to  do  so  again,  having 
grown  sick  working  in  the  vineyards,  and  that  we  had  come 


172  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

up  from  Blaye  with  a  cargo  of  wine  and  had  taken  our  dis- 
charge, and  were  now  bound  for  Agen  to  see  our  families  be- 
fore joining  the  force  that  the  Viscount  de  Rouillac,  under 
whom  our  father  held  a  farm,  would  no  doubt  be  putting  in 
the  field.  That  was  sufficient,  and  he  let  us  go  on  without 
further  question,  except  that  he  said  that  we  should  have  done 
better  by  going  up  to  Saintes  or  Cognac  and  taking  service 
with  the  force  there,  instead  of  making  this  long  journey  up 
to  Agen." 

They  walked  steadily  on  until,  when  it  was  nearly  mid- 
night, they  arrived  at  a  small  village  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ciron.  As  the  inhabitants  would  have  been  in  bed  hours 
before,  they  made  up  their  minds  not  to  attempt  to  find  a 
shelter  there,  but  to  cross  by  the  bridge  and  sleep  in  the  first 
clump  of  trees  they  came  to.  As  they  approached  the  bridge, 
however,  they  saw  a  fire  burning  in  the  centre  of  the  road. 
Two  men  were  sitting  beside  it,  and  several  others  lay  round. 

"  Soldiers !  "  Philip  said.  "  It  would  not  do  to  try  to  cross 
at  this  time  of  night.  We  will  retire  beyond  the  village  and 
wait  until  morning." 

They  turned  off  into  a  vineyard  as  soon  as  they  were  out- 
side the  village  and  lay  down  among  the  vines  that  had  some 
weeks  before  been  cleared  of  their  grapes. 

"  How  far  does  this  river  run  before  it  becomes  fordable, 
Jacques?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  sir.  There  are  hills  run  along  in  a  line 
with  the  Garonne  some  ten  or  twelve  miles  back,  and  I  should 
say  that  when  we  get  there  we  shall  certanly  find  points  at 
which  we  might  cross  this  stream." 

"That  would  waste  nearly  a  day,  and  time  is  too  precious 
for  that.  We  will  go  straight  on  in  the  morning.  Our  story 
has  been  good  enough  thus  far,  there  is  no  reason  why  it 
should  not  carry  us  through." 

Accordingly,  as  soon  as  the  sun  was  up  they  entered  the  vil- 
lage and  went  into  a  cabaret  and  called  for  wine  and  bread. 

"You  are  travelling  early,"  the  landlord  said. 

"  Yes,  we  have  a  long  tramp  before  us,  so  we  thought  we 
had  better  perform  part  of  it  before  breakfast." 

"These  are  busy  times;  folks  are  passing  through  one  way 


THE   QUEEN   OF   NAVARRE  173 

or  the  other  all  day.  It  is  not  for  us  innkeepers  to  grumble, 
but  peace  and  quiet  are  all  we  want  about  here;  these  con- 
stant wars  and  troubles  are  our  ruin.  The  growers  are  all 
afraid  to  send  their  wine  to  market,  for  many  of  these  armed 
bands  are  no  better  than  brigands,  and  think  much  more  of 
robbing  and  plundering  than  they  do  of  fighting.  I  suppose 
by  your  looks  you  are  going  to  take  service  with  some  lord  or 
other?" 

Jacques  repeated  the  usual  tale. 

"Well,  well,  every  man  to  his  liking,"  the  landlord  said; 
"but  for  my  part  I  can't  think  what  Frenchmen  want  to  fly  at 
each  others'  throats  for.  We"  have  got  thirty  soldiers  quar- 
tered in  the  village  now,  though  what  they  are  doing  here  is 
more  than  I  can  imagine.  We  shall  be  glad  when  they  are 
gone,  for  they  are  a  rough  lot,  and  their  leader  gives  himself 
as  many  airs  as  if  he  had  conquered  the  place.  I  believe  they 
belong  to  a  force  that  is  lying  at  Bazas,  some  five  leagues 
away.  One  would  think  that  the  Queen  of  Navarre  had  got 
a  big  Huguenot  army  together  and  was  marching  north." 

"I  should  not  think  she  could  raise  an  army,"  Philip  said 
carelessly;  "and  if  she  is  wise  she  will  stop  quietly  down  in 
Beam." 

"There  is  a  rumour  here,"  the  landlord  said,  "that  she  is 
at  Ne"rac,  with  only  a  small  party  of  gentlemen,  and  that  she 
is  on  her  way  to  Paris  to  assure  the  king  that  she  has  no  part 
in  these  troubles.  I  don't  know  whether  that  has  anything  to 
do  with  the  troops,  who,  as  I  hear,  are  swarming  all  over  the 
country.  They  say  that  there  are  fifteen  hundred  men  at  Agen. " 

"I  am  afraid  we  shall  have  trouble  at  this  bridge,"  Philip 
said,  as  the  landlord  left  them;  "they  seem  to  be  a  rough  lot, 
and  this  truculent  lieutenant  may  not  be  satisfied  with  a  story 
that  his  betters  would  accept  without  question.  We  will  ask 
our  host  if  there  is  any  place  where  the  river  can  be  forded 
without  going  too  far  up.  We  can  all  swim,  and  as  the  river 
is  no  great  width  we  can  make  a  shift  to  get  across  even  if  the 
ford  is  a  bad  one." 

The  landlord  presently  returned.  Jacques  put  the  question : 
"By  your  account  of  those  fellows  at  the  bridge,  we  might 
have  trouble  with  them?  " 


174  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"As  like  as  not,"  the  landlord  said;  •' they  worry  and  vex 
all  who  come  past,  insult  quiet  people,  and  have  seized  several 
who  have  happened  to  have  no  papers  of  domicile  about  them 
and  sent  them  off  to  Bazas.  They  killed  a  man  who  resented 
their  rough  usage  two  days  ago.  There  has  been  a  talk  in  the 
village  of  sending  a  complaint  of  their  conduct  to  the  officer 
at  Bazas;  but  perhaps  he  might  do  nothing,  and  if  he  didn't 
it  would  only  make  it  the  worse  for  us  here." 

"We  don't  want  troubles,"  Jacques  said,  "and  therefore  if 
we  could  pass  the  river  without  having  to  make  too  wide  a 
detour  we  would  do  so.  Do  you  know  of  any  fords?  " 

"  Yes,  there  are  two  or  three  places  where  it  can  be  crossed 
when  the  water  is  low,  and  as  there  has  been  no  rain  for  some 
weeks  past  you  will  be  able  to  cross  now  easily  enough.  There 
is  one  four  miles  higher  up.  You  will  see  a  clump  of  willow- 
trees  on  this  side  of  the  river,  and  there  is  a  pile  of  stones 
some  five  feet  high  on  the  other.  You  enter  the  river  close 
by  the  trees  and  then  keep  straight  for  the  pile  of  stones, 
which  is  some  fifty  yards  higher  up,  for  the  ford  crosses  the 
river  at  an  angle." 

"Well,  we  will  take  that  way  then,"  Jacques  said;  "it  is 
better  to  lose  an  hour  than  to  have  trouble  here." 

An  hour  later  the  party  arrived  at  the  ford  and  crossed  it 
without  difficulty,  the  water  being  little  above  their  waists. 
Some  miles  farther  they  saw  ahead  of  them  the  towers  of 
Bazas,  and  struck  off  from  the  road  they  were  traversing  to 
pass  to  the  east  of  it.  They  presently  came  upon  a  wide  road. 

"  This  must  be  the  road  to  Ne"rac,"  Philip  said.  "  There  are 
neither  rivers  nor  places  of  any  size  to  be  passed  now,  the 
only  danger  is  from  bodies  of  horse  watching  the  road." 

"And  if  I  mistake  not,  sir,  there  is  one  of  them  approach- 
ing now,"  Pierre  said,  pointing  ahead.  As  he  spoke  the 
heads  and  shoulders  of  a  body  of  horsemen  were  seen  as  they 
rode  up  from  a  dip  the  road  made  into  a  hollow,  half  a  mile 
away.  Philip  glanced  round.  The  country  was  flat,  and  it 
was  too  late  to  think  of  concealment. 

"We  will  go  quietly  on,"  he  said.  "We  must  hope  they 
will  not  interfere  with  us." 

The  troop  consisted  of  some  twenty  men,  two  gentlemen 


THE   QUEEN   OF    NAVARRE  175 

riding  at  their  head,  and  as  they  came  up  they  checked  their 
horses. 

"Whither  come  you,  and  where  are  you  bound,  my  men?  " 

"We  come  from  Bordeaux,  sir,  and  we  are  bound  for 
Agen,"  Jacques  replied.  "My  comrade  and  I  served  under 
De  Brissac  when  we  were  mere  lads,  and  we  have  a  fancy  to 
try  the  old  trade  again;  and  our  young  cousins  also  want  to 
try  their  metal." 

"You  are  a  Gascon,  by  your  tongue?" 

"That  is  so,"  Jacques  said;  "and  it  is  for  that  reason  we 
are  going  south.  We  would  rather  fight  in  a  company  of  our 
own  people  than  with  strangers"" 

"Whom  have  you  been  serving  at  Bordeaux?  I  am  from 
the  city,  and  know  most  of  those  in  and  round  it." 

"  We  have  not  been  working  there,  sir.  We  come  fro  m 
near  Blaye,  and  made  the  journey  thence  to  Bordeaux  by  a 
boat  with  our  master,  Jacques  Blazin,  who  was  bringing  to 
Bordeaux  a  cargo  of  his  wines." 

"Why  waste  time,  Raoul?"  the  other  gentleman  said  im- 
patiently. "What  matter  if  they  came  from  Bordeaux  or 
Blaye,  these  are  not  of  those  whom  we  are  here  to  arrest. 
Anyhow  they  are  not  Huguenot  lords,  but  look  what  they  say 
they  are;  but  whether  men-at-arms  or  peasants  they  concern 
us  not.  Maybe  while  we  are  questioning  them  a  party  of 
those  we  are  in  search  of  may  be  traversing  some  other  road. 
Let  us  be  riding  forward." 

He  roughly  pricked  his  horse  with  his  spur,  and  the  troop 
rode  on. 

"I  think  you  are  wrong  to  be  so  impatient,  Louis,"  the  one 
who  had  acted  as  interrogator  said.  "  Anyone  could  see  with 
half  an  eye  that  those  two  fellows  were,  as  they  said,  old  men- 
at-arms.  There  is  a  straightness  and  a  stiffness  about  men 
who  have  been  under  the  hands  of  the  drill-sergeant  there  is 
no  mistaking,  and  I  could  swear  that  fellow  is  a  Gascon  as  he 
said.  But  I  am  not  so  sure  as  to  one  of  the  young  fellows 
with  them.  I  was  about  to  question  him  when  you  broke  in. 
He  did  not  look  to  me  like  a  young  peasant,  and  I  should  not 
be  at  all  surprised  if  he  is  some  Huguenot  gentleman  making 
his  way  to  N^rac  with  three  of  his  followers." 


176  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"Well,  if  it  was  so,  Raoul,  he  will  not  swell  the  queen's 
army  to  any  dangerous  extent.  I  am  glad  that  you  didn't  ask 
him  any  questions,  for  if  he  declared  himself  a  Huguenot,  and 
to  do  them  justice  the  Huguenots  will  never  deny  their  faith, 
I  suppose  it  would  have  been  our  duty  to  have  fallen  upon 
them  and  slaughtered  them;  and  though  I  am  willing  enough 
to  draw  when  numbers  are  nearly  equal  and  it  is  a  fair  fight, 
I  will  take  no  part  in  the  slaughter  of  men  when  we  are  twenty 
to  one  against  them.  Three  or  four  men  more  or  less  at  Ne"rac 
will  make  no  difference.  The  Queen  of  Navarre  has  but  some 
fifty  men  in  all,  and  whenever  the  orders  come  to  seize  her 
and  her  son,  it  may  be  done  easily  enough  whether  she  has 
fifty  or  a  hundred  with  her.  War  is  all  well  enough,  Raoul, 
but  the  slaughtering  of  solitary  men  is  not  an  occupation  that 
suits  me.  I  am  a  good  Catholic,  I  hope,  but  I  abhor  these 
massacres  of  defenceless  people  only  because  they  want  to 
worship  in  their  own  way.  I  look  to  the  pope  as  the  head  of 
my  religion  on  earth,  but  why  should  I  treat  as  a  mortal  enemy 
a  man  who  does  not  recognize  the  pope's  authority?  " 

"That  is  dangerous  doctrine,  Louis." 

"  Yes,  but  why  should  it  be  ?  You  and  I  were  both  at  the 
colloquy  at  Poissy,  and  we  saw  that  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine 
and  all  the  bishops  failed  totally  to  answer  the  arguments  of 
the  Huguenot  minister  Beza.  The  matter  was  utterly  beyond 
me,  and  had  Beza  argued  ten  times  as  strongly  as  he  did  it 
would  in  no  way  have  shaken  my  faith;  but  I  contend  that  if 
Lorraine  himself  and  the  bishops  could  not  show  this  man  to 
be  wrong,  there  can  be  nothing  in  these  people's  interpreta- 
tion of  Scripture  that  can  be  so  terrible  as  to  deserve  death. 
If  they  become  dangerous  to  the  state,  I  am  ready  to  fight 
against  them  as  against  any  other  enemies  of  France,  but  I 
can  see  nothing  that  can  excuse  the  persecutions  and  massa- 
cres. And  if  these  men  be  enemies  of  France,  of  which  as 
yet  no  proof  has  been  shown,  it  is  because  they  have  been 
driven  to  it  by  persecution." 

"Louis,  my  cousin,"  the  other  said,  "it  is  dangerous, 
indeed,  in  these  days  to  form  an  opinion.  You  must  remem- 
ber our  greatest  statesman,  L'Hopital,  has  fallen  into  some 
disgrace,  and  has  been  deprived  of  rank  and  dignity,  because 
he  has  been  an  advocate  of  toleration." 


THE  QUEEN   OF  NAVARRE  177 

"  I  know  that,  Raoul ;  but  I  also  know  there  are  numbers 
of  our  nobles  and  gentlemen,  who,  although  staunch  Catho- 
lics, are  sickened  at~seeing  the  king  acting  as  the  tool  of 
Philip  of  Spain  and  the  pope,  and  who  shudder  as  I  do  at  be- 
holding France  stained  with  blood  from  end  to  end  simply 
because  people  choose  to  worship  God  in  their  own  way. 
You  must  remember  that  these  people  are  not  the  ignorant 
scum  of  our  towns,  but  that  among  them  are  a  large  number 
of  our  best  and  wisest  heads.  I  shall  fight  no  less  staunchly 
when  fighting  has  to  be  done  because  (I  am  convinced  that  it 
is  all  wrong.  If  they  are  in  arms  against  the  king,  I  must  be 
in  arms  for  him ;  but  I  hope  none  the  less  that  when  arms  are 
laid  down  there  will  be  a  cessation  of  persecution,  at  anyrate 
a  cessation  of  massacre.  It  is  bringing  disgrace  on  us  in  the 
eyes  of  all  Europe,  and  I  trust  that  there  may  be  a  league 
made  among  us  to  withstand  the  Guises,  and  to  insist  that 
there  shall  be  in  France  no  repetition  of  the  atrocities  by 
which  Philip  of  Spain  and  the  Duke  of  Alva  are  trying  to 
stamp  out  the  reformed  religion  in  the  Netherlands." 

"Well,  I  hope  at  anyrate,  Louis,"  his  cousin  said  impa- 
tiently, "that  you  will  keep  these  opinions  to  yourself,  for 
assuredly  they  will  bring  you  into  disgrace,  and  may  even  cost 
you  your  possessions  and  your  head  if  they  are  uttered  in  the 
presence  of  any  friend  of  the  Guises." 


CHAPTER  XI 

JEANNE   OF   NAVARRE 

IT  is  lucky,"  Philip  said  to  Jacques  as  they  proceeded  on 
their  way  after  the  troop  had  ridden  on,  "  that  he  did  not 
think  of  asking  us  if  we  were  Huguenots." 

"I  was  expecting  it  myself,  sir,"  Jacques  said;  "and  I  was 
just  turning  it  over  in  my  conscience  how  I  could  answer." 

"  There  could  be  but  one  answer,  Jacques,  though  no  doubt 
it  would  have  cost  us  our  lives." 

"I  should  not  deny  my  faith,  even  to  save  my  life,  sir,  if 
the  question  were  put  to  me,  Are  you  a  Huguenot?  But  I 
think  that  when  four  lives  are  at  stake  it  is  lawful  to  take  any 
opening  there  may  be  to  get  out  of  it." 

"But  how  would  there  have  been  an  opening,  Jacques? " 

"Well,  sir,  you  see,  if  he  had  asked,  'Are  you  Huguenots? ' 
I  think  I  could  have  said  'No  '  with  a  clear  conscience,  seeing 
that  you  are  an  Englishman;  your  religion  may  be  like  ours 
but  you  are  not  a  Huguenot,  and  although  Pierre  does  not 
seem  to  me  to  have  quite  made  up  his  mind  as  to  what  he  is, 
assuredly  I  should  not  call  him  a  Huguenot.  So  you  see,  sir, 
that  as  only  two  out  of  the  four  are  Huguenots,  there  would 
have  been  no  lie  to  my  saying  'no '  to  that  question.  But  if 
he  had  said  'Are  you  Catholics?  '  I  must  have  answered  'No,' 
seeing  that  none  of  us  go  to  mass." 

"It  is  a  nice  question,"  Philip  said;  "but  seeing  that  the 
Catholics  never  keep  their  oaths  and  their  promises  to  what 
they  call  heretics,  I  think  that  one  would  be  justified,  not  in 
telling  a  lie,  for  nothing  can  justify  that,  but  in  availing  one's 

178 


JEANNE   OF   NAVARRE  179 

self  of  a  loophole  such  as  one  would  scorn  to  use  to  others.  I 
should  be  sorry  to  have  the  question  asked  me,  though  seeing 
I  am  not  myself  a  Huguenot,  although  I  am  fighting  with 
them,  I  think  that  I  could  reply  'no,'  especially  as  it  is  not  a 
question  of  my  own  life  only,  but  one  involving  the  whole 
cause  of  the  Huguenots.  If  I  were  in  your  place  I  don't  know 
that  I  should  do  so;  but  as  you  say  that  you  could  do  it  with- 
out your  conscience  pricking  you,  I  certainly  should  not  put 
pressure  upon  you  to  say  yes.  However,  I  hope  you  may  never 
be  asked  the  question,  and  that  we  shall  meet  with  no  more 
interruptions  until  we  get  to  Nerac.  There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  at  present  the  Catholics  have  received  no  orders  to  seize 
the  queen  and  her  son  at  Ne"rac,  although  they  have  orders  to 
prevent  her  at  all  costs  from  going  forward  to  Paris  except 
under  escort,  and  are  keeping  a  sharp  look-out  to  prevent  her 
from  being  joined  by  parties  of  Huguenots  who  would  render 
her  force  formidable.  I  should  hope  that  by  this  time  we  are 
past  the  last  of  their  bands.  Those  we  met  just  now  doubtless 
belonged  to  the  force  gathered  in  Bazas,  and  it  is  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  north  rather  than  the  west  that  the  Catholics  are 
most  vigilant.  If  she  succeeds  in  making  her  way  through 
them,  it  will  be  well-nigh  a  miracle.  Now  that  we  are  well  past 
Bazas  we  will  leave  the  road  and  make  our  way  across  the  fields, 
for  it  is  upon  the  roads  that  any  watch  there  may  be  will  be  set." 

It  was  a  long  day's  journey,  and  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
evening  they  lay  down  in  a  wood  ten  miles  from  Ne"rac,  having 
walked  fully  fifty  miles  since  crossing  the  river  Ciron. 

"I  am  very  glad,  Monsieur  Philip,  that  we  were  not  here 
four  hours  earlier." 

"Why,  Pierre?" 

"  Because,  sir,  in  that  case  you  would  have  insisted  on  push- 
ing on  to  Ne"rac  so  as  to  enter  it  before  the  gate  is  closed,  and 
in  that  case  I  doubt  whether  with  the  best  will  I  could  have 
got  that  far,  and  I  am  sure  that  Jacques  and  Roger  could  not 
have  done  so." 

"No,  indeed,"  Jacques  said,  "I  have  done  my  last  inch. 
For  the  last  four  hours  I  felt  as  if  walking  upon  hot  irons,  so 
sore  are  my  feet;  and  indeed  I  could  not  have  travelled  at  all 
if  I  had  not  taken  your  advice  and  gone  barefoot." 


180  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

They  had  bought  some  wine  and  bread  in  a  little  village 
through  which  they  had  passed,  and  as  soon  as  they  had 
finished  their  supper  they  lay  down  to  sleep.  They  were  up 
next  morning  long  before  daybreak,  and  were  at  the  gates  of 
Ne"rac  before  they  opened.  A  group  of  countrymen  were 
gathered  there,  and  as  soon  as  the  drawbridge  was  lowered 
they  entered  the  town  with  them.  They  observed  that  there 
were  sentries  all  round  the  walls,  and  that  a  keen  watch  was 
kept.  As  Philip  was  aware,  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants 
there  were  Huguenots,  and  the  governor  was  a  nobleman  of 
B£arn;  and  it  was  doubtless  for  this  reason  that  the  Queen  of 
Navarre  had  halted  here,  as  Nerac  was  a  strong  town,  and  not 
to  be  taken  without  a  regular  siege. 

They  had  no  difficulty  in  ascertaining  where  the  queen  was 
lodged.  Early  as  it  was,  several  Huguenot  gentlemen,  armed 
to  the  teeth,  were  gathered  round  the  door.  Philip,  leaving 
his  companions  behind  him,  went  up  to  the  group,  and  address- 
ing one  of  them  said : 

"I  am  the  bearer  of  a  message  for  the  queen;  it  is  impor- 
tant. May  I  pray  you,  sir,  to  cause  this  ring  to  be  conveyed 
to  her.  It  is  a  token  that  she  will  recognize." 

The  gentleman  glanced  at  the  ring. 

"She  may  well  do  that,"  he  said,  "seeing  that  it  bears  her 
own  cognizance.  The  queen  is  already  up,  and  I  will  cause 
it  to  be  sent  in  to  her  at  once." 

Two  minutes  later  another  gentleman  came  out. 

"Her  majesty  will  at  once  see  the  messenger  who  has 
brought  the  ring,"  he  said,  and  Philip  at  once  followed  him 
into  the  house.  He  was  conducted  to  a  room,  where  a  lady 
was  sitting,  whom  he  recognized  by  the  descriptions  he  had 
read  of  her  as  the  Queen  of  Navarre.  Beside  her  stood  a  lad 
of  fifteen. 

"You  come  from  the  Admiral?"  she  said.  "Have  you 
despatches  for  me?  " 

"  I  have  a  paper  sewn  up  in  my  boot,  your  majesty,  but  it 
was  read  over  to  me  several  times  in  case  either  water  or  wear 
should  render  it  illegible." 

"  He  has  reached  La  Rochelle  safely,  as  I  heard  three  days 
since,"  the  queen  said,  "with  but  a  small  following?" 


JEANNE   OF   NAVARRE  181 

"  He  and  the  Prince  had  over  five  hundred  with  them  when 
they  rode  in,  your  majesty,  and  parties  were  arriving  hourly 
to  swell  his  force.  On  the  day  I  left  he  was  going  out  to 
attack  Niort,  and  that  captured  he  was  going  to  move  south. 
That  was  the  message  I  was  charged  to  deliver.  You  will  find 
him  either  in  Cognac  or  in  front  of  that  town." 

"That  is  good  news,  indeed,"  the  queen  said,  "for  I  should 
have  had  to  make  a  wide  detour  to  pass  round  the  Charente, 
all  the  towns  and  bridges  being  held  by  our  enemies.  It  will 
be  difficult  enough  to  cross  the  intervening  rivers.  Indeed  as 
the  news  that  I  had  started  hence  would  arrive  long  before  I 
did  myself,  it  would  be  hopeless -to  elude  their  vigilance,  and 
I  should  have  had  to  make  a  long  bend  to  the  east,  and  might 
well  have  been  cut  off  before  I  could  reach  him.  And  who 
are  you,  sir,  that  the  Admiral  should  think  fit  to  intrust  so 
important  a  message  to  you?  " 

"I  am  English  born,  madam,  and  my  name  is  Philip 
Fletcher.  My  mother  was  French,  being  the  daughter  of  the 
Count  de  Moulins,  and  she  sent  me  over  to  reside  with  her 
sister  the  Countess  of  Laville,  in  order  that  I  might  fight  for 
the  cause  of  the  religion  by  the  side  of  my  cousin  Francois. 
I  rode  with  him  through  the  last  campaign  in  the  train  of 
Francois  de  la  Noiie,  and  having  had  the  good  fortune  to 
attract  the  notice  of  the  Prince  of  Conde"  and  the  Admiral,  they 
selected  me  to  bear  this  message  to  you,  thinking  that,  being 
but  a  lad,  I  should  better  escape  suspicion  and  question  than 
a  French  gentleman  would  do,  especially  as  he  would  risk 
being  recognized,  while  my  face  would  be  altogether  unknown. 
Now,  if  your  majesty  will  permit  me,  I  will  open  the  lining  of 
my  shoe.  You  will  find,  however,  that  the  despatch  contains 
but  a  few  words.  At  first  the  Admiral  thought  only  to  give  me 
a  message,  but  he  afterwards  wrote  what  he  had  said,  in  order 
that  should  any  evil  befall  me  by  the  way,  one  of  the  three 
men  who  accompanied  me  should  take  my  shoe  and  bring  it 
to  your  majesty." 

By  this  time  he  had  slit  open  the  lining  of  his  shoe  with  his 
knife,  and  handed  the  little  piece  of  paper  to  the  queen.  It 
contained  only  the  words, 

"  All goes  well.  Am  hoping  to  see  you.  You  will  find  me  in 
or  near  Cognac  " 


182  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

There  was  no  signature. 

"You  have  done  good  service  to  the  cause,  Monsieur 
Fletcher,"  the  queen  said.  "How  did  you  manage  to  pass 
south,  for  I  hear  that  every  bridge  and  ford  is  guarded  by  the 
Catholics?" 

Philip  gave  a  brief  account  of  his  journey. 

"You  have  acted  prudently  and  well,  young  sir,  and  fully 
justified  the  Admiral's  confidence  in  your  prudence.  What 
are  your  orders  now?  " 

"They  are  simply  to  accompany  your  majesty  on  your  way 
north,  if  it  be  your  pleasure  to  permit  me  to  ride  in  your 
train." 

"  I  shall  do  that  right  willingly,  sir,  and  it  will  be  a  pleasure 
for  my  son  to  hear  from  your  lips  a  full  account  of  your  jour- 
ney hither,  and  something  of  your  native  land,  in  which  it  may 
be  that  he  will  be  some  day  compelled  to  take  refuge." 

"You  shall  ride  by  my  side.  Monsieur  Philip,"  the  young 
Prince  said.  "You  look  as  if  you  could  laugh  and  joke. 
These  Huguenot  lords  are  brave  and  faithful,  but  they  have 
ever  serious  faces." 

"  Hush,  Henri !  it  is  not  fitting  to  speak  so.  They  are  brave 
and  good  men." 

"They  may  be  that,  mother,  but  they  weary  me  dreadfully; 
and  I  am  sure  it  would  be  much  more  cheerful  having  this 
English  gentleman  as  my  companion." 

The  young  Prince  was  tall  for  his  age,  active  and  sinewy. 
His  mother  had  brought  him  up  as  if  he  had  been  a  peasant 
boy.  As  a  child  he  had  run  about  barefoot,  and  as  he  grew 
had  spent  much  of  his  time  among  the  mountains,  sometimes 
with  shepherds,  sometimes  engaged  in  the  chase.  Jeanne  her- 
self had  a  horror  of  the  corruption  of  the  French  court,  and 
strove  to  make  her  son  hardy  and  robust,  with  simple  tastes 
and  appetites,  and  preferring  exercise,  hard  work,  and  hunter's 
food  to  the  life  of  the  town.  He  had  practised  constantly  in 
arms,  and  his  mother  regretted  nothing  so  much  as  the  fact 
that,  next  to  the  king  and  his  brothers,  he  stood  in  succession 
to  the  French  throne,  and  would  have  been  far  happier  that  he 
should  rule  some  day  over  the  simple  and  hardy  people  of 
Navarre. 


JEANNE   OF   NAVARRE  183 

"The  first  thing  to  do,  Monsieur  Fletcher,"  the  queen  said, 
"is  to  obtain  more  suitable  garments  for  yourself  and  your 
followers.  This  my  chamberlain  shall  see  about  without  delay. 
I  will  then  present  you  to  the  gentlemen  who  accompany  me. 
They  are  but  a  small  party,  but  we  have  received  promises 
from  many  others,  who  will  join  us  on  our  way.  I  may  tell 
you  it  is  already  arranged  that  I  shall  set  forward  this  evening. 
Monsieur  D'Escars  has,  I  hear,  some  four  thousand  gentlemen 
under  arms;  but  these  are  widely  scattered,  and  I  hope  to  have 
a  sufficient  force  to  overcome  them  at  any  point  we  may  make 
for.  Some  friends  have  secretly  collected  two  or  three  boats 
near  Tonneins,  where  there  is  but^a  small  part  of  the  Catholics 
assembled.  Once  past  the  Garonne  we  shall  feel  safe  for  a 
time." 

"Would  it  please  you  that  I  should  ride  on  first  to  Ton- 
neins, your  majesty,  and  ascertain  if  the  garrison  there  are  not 
alert,  and  have  no  suspicion  that  you  are  about  to  cross  so 
close  to  them?  Being  a  stranger  here  I  could  pass  unsus- 
pected, while  were  any  of  the  gentlemen  with  you  seen  near 
Tonneins  it  would  create  suspicion  that  you  yourself  were 
about  to  cross  in  the  neighbourhood." 

"  I  thank  you  for  that  offer,"  the  queen  said,  "  and  will  speak 
to  you  about  it  later  on." 

As  Philip  had  been  furnished  with  money  he  did  not  trouble 
the  queen's  chamberlain,  but  at  once  purchased  clothes  for 
himself  and  his  three  followers,  together  with  breast  and  back 
piece  for  Jacques  and  Roger.  On  his  return  to  the  queen 
after  an  hour's  absence,  he  was  informed  that  Prince  Henri 
had  made  inquiries  for  him,  and  was  shown  into  a  room  where 
the  young  Prince  was  sitting  down  to  his  breakfast,  the  queen 
being  engaged  in  business  with  some  of  her  councillors. 

"That  is  right,  Monsieur  Fletcher;  I  have  been  waiting 
breakfast  for  you  for  half  an  hour.  Come,  sit  you  down  with 
me.  I  warrant  you  have  been  too  busy  since  you  arrived  at 
Ne"rac  to  think  of  a  meal." 

"I  don't  think,  Prince,"  Philip  began,  "that  it  would  be 
seemly  that  I — " 

"Nonsense,"  the  Prince  interrupted,  "we  are  not  at  the 
court  of  France,  thank  goodness,  and  we  have  no  ceremony  at 


184  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Beam.  Besides,  a  simple  gentleman  may  dine  with  the  king 
any  day.  So  sit  down  without  any  more  delay,  and  let  me 
hear  all  your  adventures." 

Philip  still  hesitated,  and  the  Prince  said : 

"  I  told  my  mother  that  I  was  going  to  have  you  to  breakfast 
with  me,  and  I  believe  she  was  well  satisfied  that  I  should  for 
a  time  be  out  of  her  way." 

This  removed  any  doubt  from  Philip's  mind,  and  he  at  once 
sat  down  with  the  Prince  and  ate  a  hearty  meal,  after  which  he 
chatted  with  him  for  an  hour,  telling  him  about  the  journey 
from  La  Rochelle,  the  rescue  of  the  Huguenots  near  Niort,  and 
some  of  the  adventures  in  the  last  war. 

"  And  you  were  with  my  cousin  Conde"  and  the  Admiral  in 
the  battle  of  St.  Denis.  What  luck  you  have  had,  Monsieur 
Fletcher;  I  hope  the  day  will  come  when  I  too  shall  take  a 
part  in  war  and  be  a  great  leader  like  the  Admiral,  but  I  would 
rather  that  it  was  against  Spaniards  or  others  than  against 
Frenchmen." 

The  door  opened  and  the  queen  entered.  Philip  rose  hastily, 
but  she  motioned  him  to  be  seated.  "  No  ceremony,  I  beg  of 
you,  Master  Philip.  I  am  glad  to  find  you  here  with  my  son. 
I  have  spoken  to  some  of  my  friends  of  your  offer  to  go  to 
Tonneins,  but  they  think  not  well  of  it.  It  is  a  small  place, 
and  a  stranger  would  be  sure  to  be  questioned,  but  it  was 
agreed  that  if  you  would  ride  through  Agen  you  might  do  us 
great  service.  Five  leagues  from  Tonneins,  Fontarailles,  the 
seneschal  of  Armagnac,  will  be  waiting  for  me  in  the  morning 
with  a  troop  of  horse  and  a  regiment  of  infantry.  If  the 
governor  of  Agen  has  news  of  his  coming  he  may  send  out  a 
force  to  attack  him,  or  should  he  not  feel  strong  enough  for 
that,  he  may  at  least  think  that  I  am  intending  to  join  the 
seneschal,  and  in  that  case  he  may  send  out  troops  to  bar  the 
roads  leading  thither  from  the  river.  As  many  will  be  passing 
through  Agen  on  their  way  to  join  D'Escars,  the  passage  of  a 
gentleman  and  two  men-at-arms  will  excite  no  attention,  and 
if  you  put  up  for  a  short  time  at  an  inn  you  may  be  able  to 
gather  whether  there  has  been  any  movement  of  the  troops,  or 
whether  there  is  any  talk  of  the  departure  of  any  this  evening. 
Should  all  be  quiet  you  can  join  me  on  the  road,  or  ride  direct 


JEANNE   OF  NAVARRE  185 

to  the  village  of  Villeneuve  d'Agenois,  where  the  seneschal 
will  arrive  some  time  to-night.  If  you  should  hear  of  any 
movements  of  troops  ride  down  on  the  other  side  of  the  river 
till  within  two  miles  of  Tonneins,  then,  if  you  place  your  men 
at  intervals  of  three  or  four  hundred  yards  apart,  you  will  be 
sure  to  see  us  cross,  and  can  give  us  warning  of  danger,  and 
such  indications  as  you  may  gather  as  to  the  points  where  the 
troops  are  likely  to  be  posted.  We  shall  cross  about  midnight." 

"  I  will  gladly  undertake  the  mission,"  Philip  said.  "  I  will 
go  out  and  procure  some  horses  at  once." 

"That  is  unnecessary,"  the  queen  said;  "we  have  brought 
several  spare  horses  with  us,  and  I  have  already  ordered  four 
to  be  saddled  for  you.  You  have  no  armour,  I  see." 

"I  would  rather  ride  without  it,  your  majesty,  especially  on 
such  a  mission  as  the  present;  besides,  if  in  full  armour  I 
might  well  be  accosted  and  asked  to  whose  party  I  belong, 
while  riding  in  as  I  am  unarmed,  save  for  my  sword,  I  should 
have  the  air  of  a  gentleman  of  the  neighbourhood,  who  had 
merely  ridden  in  on  business  or  to  learn  the  latest  news." 

The  queen  smiled  approvingly. 

"  You  see,  Henri,  this  gentleman,  although  about  to  under- 
take a  dangerous  business,  does  not  proceed  rashly  or  hastily, 
but  thinks  coolly  as  to  the  most  prudent  course  to  pursue. 
You  will  understand,  Monsieur  Fletcher,  that  several  of  the 
gentlemen  with  me  have  volunteered  for  this  duty,  and  that  we 
have  accepted  your  offer  solely  because  they  could  scarcely 
enter  Agen  without  meeting  some  who  know  them,  while  you, 
being  a  stranger,  do  not  run  this  risk." 

"  Moreover,  madam,  I  have  another  advantage.  Were  any 
of  them  questioned,  and  asked  directly,  Are  you  a  Huguenot? 
they  could  not  but  answer  yes;  whereas  were  that  question  put 
to  me  I  could  reply  no,  seeing  that  I  am  an  English  Protestant, 
and  in  no  way,  save  in  my  sympathies,  a  Huguenot." 

"That  is  an  advantage,  certainly;  but  it  may  be  the  ques- 
tion will  be  put,  Are  you  a  Catholic?  " 

"In  that  case,  your  majesty,  I  could  only  reply  'no; '  but 
methinks  the  other  question  is  the  most  likely  one." 

"I  wish  I  were  going  to  ride  with  Monsieur  Fletcher, 
mother." 


186  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"  That  is  impossible,  Henri,  for  scarce  a  Gascon  gentleman 
but  has  been  down  at  one  time  or  other  to  Beam.  Do  not  be 
anxious  for  adventures;  they  will  come  in  time,  my  son,  and 
plenty  of  them.  Would  that  you  could  pass  your  life  without 
one;  but  in  these  troubled  times,  and  with  France  divided 
against  itself,  that  is  too  much  to  hope.  Should  you  by  any 
chance,  Monsieur  Fletcher,  fail  to  rejoin  us  at  Villeneuve 
d'Agenois,  you  may  overtake  us  farther  on.  But  run  no  risk 
to  do  so.  You  know  whither  we  are  bound,  and  I  trust  that 
when  we  arrive  there  we  may  find  you  before  us.  I  myself 
will  retain  the  ring  that  you  brought  me,  and  will  return  it  to 
the  Admiral,  but  wear  this  in  remembrance  of  one  in  whose 
service  you  risked  your  life,"  and  she  handed  him  a  diamond 
ring,  which  he  knew  enough  of  gems  to  be  aware  was  of  con- 
siderable value. 

"And  take  this  dagger,"  the  Prince  said,  taking  a  small 
and  beautifully  tempered  weapon  from  his  belt.  "  It  is  but  a 
bodkin,  but  it  is  of  famous  steel.  It  was  sent  me  by  Philip 
of  Spain  at  a  time  when  he  was  trying  to  cajole  my  mother, 
and  is  of  the  best  workmanship  of  Toledo." 

Philip  expressed  his  thanks  for  the  gifts  in  suitable  words, 
and  then  taking  leave  of  the  queen  and  Prince  went  down  to 
the  courtyard.  Here  he  found  Pierre  and  the  two  men-at- 
arms  standing  at  the  head  of  three  powerful  horses,  while  one 
of  the  queen's  retainers  held  a  very  handsome  animal  in  readi- 
ness for  himself. 

"Her  majesty  begs  you  to  accept  these  horses,  sir,  as  a 
slight  token  of  her  good-will."  In  five  minutes  the  party  had 
issued  from  Ne"rac,  Pierre  as  usual  keeping  close  behind  Philip, 
and  the  two  men-at-arms  riding  a  few  lengths  behind. 

"This  is  truly  a  change  for  the  better,  Monsieur  Philip," 
Pierre  said;  "we  entered  Nerac  as  tillers  of  the  soil,  we  ride 
out  in  knightly  fashion." 

"Yes,  Pierre,  it  is  good  to  be  on  the  back  of  a  fine  horse 
again,  and  this  one  I  am  riding  is  worthy  of  a  place  beside 
Victor  and  Robin." 

"Yes,  he  is  as  good  as  either  of  them,  sir;  I  am  not  sure 
that  he  is  not  better.  We,  too,  are  well  content  with  the 
Queen  of  Navarre's  generosity,  for  her  steward  gave  us,  before 


JEANNE   OF  NAVARRE  187 

we  started,  each  a  purse  of  twenty  crowns,  which  has  been  a 
wonderful  salve  to  our  sore  feet.  I  trust  there  will  be  no  more 
occasion  to  use  them  for  a  time." 

"  I  hope  not.  It  was  a  long  journey,  but  it  was  fortunate 
that  we  pushed  on  as  we  did,  for  had  we  been  twelve  hours 
later  we  should  not  have  found  the  queen  at  Ne"rac." 

"And  why  does  not  your  honour  stay  to  ride  with  her?" 
Pierre  asked. 

"  I  hope  to  join  her  again  to-night.  We  are  going  through 
Agen,  where  I  hope  to  gather  such  news  of  the  movements  of 
the  Catholic  troops  as  may  be  of  use  to  her." 

Agen  was  about  fifteen  miles^distance  from  Ne"rac,  and  as 
there  was  no  occasion  for  haste,  and  Philip  did  not  wish  the 
horses  to  have  the  appearance  of  being  ridden  fast,  they  took 
three  hours  in  traversing  the  distance.  When  they  neared  the 
town  he  said  to  Pierre,  "I  shall  not  take  you  with  me.  If 
there  should  be  trouble — though  I  do  not  see  how  this  can  well 
come  about — four  men  could  do  no  more  than  one.  There- 
fore, Pierre,  do  you  follow  me  no  nearer  than  is  sufficient  to 
keep  me  in  sight,  the  other  two  will  follow  you  at  an  equal 
distance,  together  or  separately.  Should  any  accident  befall 
me  you  are  on  no  account  to  ride  up  or  to  meddle  in  the  busi- 
ness. I  have  told  you  what  my  instructions  are,  and  it  will 
be  your  duty  to  carry  them  out  if  I  am  taken.  You  will  put 
up  your  horse,  and  mingling  with  the  soldiers  and  townspeople 
find  out  if  there  is  any  movement  in  the  wind,  or  whether  any 
troops  have  already  gone  forward.  Jacques  and  Roger  will  do 
the  same,  and  you  will  meet  and  exchange  news.  If  you  find 
that  anything  has  been  done,  or  is  going  to  be  done,  towards 
putting  more  guards  on  the  river,  or  despatching  a  force  that 
might  interfere  with  the  passage  of  the  queen  from  Tonneins 
to  Villeneuve  d'Agenois,  Roger  and  Jacques  will  ride  to  the 
point  where  I  told  you  the  crossing  is  to  be  made,  and  will 
warn  the  queen  of  the  danger.  I  leave  you  free  to  ride  with 
them,  or  to  stay  in  the  town  till  you  learn  what  has  happened 
to  me.  If  you  should  find  that  there  is  no  movement  of 
troops,  you  and  the  others  will  be  free  either  to  ride  to  Pontier 
or  to  make  your  way  back  to  Cognac,  and  to  join  my  cousin 
and  give  him  news  of  what  has  happened  to  me.  If  I  am  only 


188  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

held  as  a  prisoner  the  Admiral  will  doubtless  exchange  a  Catho- 
lic gentleman  for  me;  he  is  sure  to  take  many  prisoners  at  the 
capture  of  the  towns." 

He  then  called  the  two  men-at-arms  up,  and  repeated  the 
instructions  relating  to  them. 

"But  may  we  not  strike  in  should  you  get  into  trouble, 
master?  Roger  and  I  would  far  rather  share  whatever  may 
befall  you." 

"No,  Jacques,  it  would  be  worse  in  every  way;  force  could 
be  of  no  avail,  and  it  would  lessen  my  chance  of  escape  were 
you  beside  me.  Single-handed  I  might  get  through  and  trust 
to  the  speed  of  my  horse,  if  taken  I  might  plan  some  mode  of 
escape.  In  either  case  it  would  hamper  me  were  you  there. 
Above  all  it  is  important  that  my  mission  should  be  fulfilled, 
therefore  my  commands  on  that  head  are  strict.  I  do  not 
apprehend  trouble  in  any  way;  but  if  it  should  occur  you  will 
at  once  turn  your  horses  down  the  first  street  you  come  to,  so 
that  you  may  in  no  way  be  connected  with  me.  Pierre  will 
of  course  turn  first.  You  will  follow  him,  see  where  he  stables 
his  horse,  then  go  on  to  some  other  cabaret,  and  having  put 
up  your  horses  go  back  to  the  place  where  he  has  stopped, 
wait  till  he  joins  you  outside,  then  arrange  for  the  hour  at 
which  you  are  to  meet  again,  and  then  go  off  in  different 
directions  to  gather  the  news  of  which  we  are  in  search. 
Take  no  further  thought  about  me  at  all;  give  your  whole 
minds  to  the  safety  of  the  queen.  Upon  that  depends  greatly 
the  issue  of  this  war.  Were  she  and  her  son  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  Catholics,  it  would  be  a  fatal  blow  to  the  cause." 

So  saying,  he  rode  on  again  at  the  head  of  the  party. 
When  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  town  he  again  called 
Pierre  up  to  him. 

"  Pierre,  do  you  take  this  ring  and  dagger.  Should  I  be 
taken  I  shall  assuredly  be  searched  to  see  whether  I  am  the 
bearer  of  despatches.  I  should  grieve  to  lose  these  gifts  as 
much  as  I  should  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Catholics. 
Keep  them  for  me  until  you  learn  that  there  is  no  chance  of 
my  ever  returning  to  claim  them,  and  then  give  them  to  my 
cousin,  and  beg  him  in  my  name  to  return  the  ring  to  the 
Queen  of  Navarre,  and  the  dagger  to  the  young  Prince." 


JEANNE   OF   NAVARRE  189 

"I  like  not  all  these  provisions,"  Pierre  said  to  himself. 
"  Hitherto  the  master  has  never,  since  I  first  knew  him,  given 
any  commands  to  me  as  to  what  was  to  be  done  in  case  he 
were  captured  or  killed.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  danger  here 
is  as  nothing  to  that  he  has  often  run  before,  and  yet  he  must 
have  some  sort  of  foreboding  of  evil.  If  I  were  not  a  Hugue- 
not, I  would  vow  a  score  of  pounds  of  candles  to  be  burnt  at 
the  shrine  of  the  Holy  Virgin  if  the  master  gets  safe  out  of 
yonder  town." 

Philip  rode  on  across  the  bridge  and  entered  the  gates  with- 
out question.  Up  to  this  time  his  followers  had  kept  close 
behind  him,  but  now,  in  accordance  with  his  instructions, 
they  dropped  behind.  He  continued  his  way  to  the  princi- 
pal square,  rode  up  to  an  inn,  entered  the  courtyard,  and  gave 
his  horse  to  the  stableman. 

"Give  it  a  feed,"  he  said,  "and  put  it  in  the  stable.  I 
shall  not  require  it  until  the  afternoon." 

Then  he  went  into  the  public  room,  called  for  food  and 
wine,  and  sat  down.  The  tables  were  well  nigh  full,  for  there 
were  many  strangers  in  the  town.  After  a  first  glance  at  the 
newcomer  none  paid  him  any  attention.  Pierre  and  the  two 
men  had,  in  accordance  with  his  instructions,  passed  the  inn 
they  had  seen  him  enter,  and  put  up  at  other  places.  There  was 
a  loud  buzz  of  conversation,  and  Philip  listened  attentively  to 
that  between  four  gentlemen  who  had  just  sat  down  at  the  next 
table  to  him.  Three  of  them  had  come  in  together,  and  the 
fourth  joined  them  just  as  Philip's  meal  was  brought  to  him. 

"Well,  have  you  heard  any  news  at  the  governor's,  Maig- 
nan?  "  one  of  them  asked  the  last  comer. 

"Bad  news.  Cond£  and  the  Admiral  are  not  letting  the 
grass  grow  under  their  feet.  They  have  captured  not  only 
Niort,  as  we  heard  yesterday,  but  Parthenay." 

"  Peste!  that  is  bad  news  indeed.  What  a  blunder  it  was 
to  let  them  slip  through  their  fingers,  when  they  might  have 
seized  them  with  two  or  three  hundred  men  in  Burgundy." 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  they  are  making  just  the  same  mistake 
here,"  another  put  in.  "As  Jeanne  of  Navarre  is  welmigh 
as  dangerous  as  the  Admiral  himself,  why  don't  they  seize  her 
and  her  cub  and  carry  them  to  Paris?  " 


190  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"  Because  they  hope  that  she  will  go  willingly  of  her  own 
accord,  St.  Amand.  La  Motte-Fenelon  has  been  negotiating 
with  her  for  the  last  fortnight  on  behalf  of  the  court.  It  is 
clearly  far  better  that  she  should  go  there  of  her  own  will  than 
that  she  should  be  taken  there  a  prisoner.  Her  doing  so 
would  seem  a  desertion  of  the  Huguenot  cause,  and  would  be 
a  tremendous  blow  to  them.  On  the  other  hand,  if  she  were 
taken  there  as  a  prisoner,  it  would  drive  many  a  Huguenot  to 
take  up  arms  who  is  now  content  to  rest  quiet.  And  more- 
over, the  Protestant  princes  of  Germany  and  Elizabeth  of 
England  would  protest;  for  whatever  the  court  may  say  of  the 
Admiral,  they  can  hardly  affirm  that  Jeanne  of  Navarre  is 
thinking  of  making  war  against  Charles  for  any  other  reason 
than  the  defence  of  her  faith.  Besides,  she  can  do  no  harm 
at  N£rac,  and  we  can  always  lay  hands  on  her  when  we  like. 
At  anyrate  there  is  no  fear  of  her  getting  farther  north,  the 
rivers  are  too  well  guarded  for  that." 

"I  don't  know,"  another  said,  "after  the  way  in  which 
Cond^  and  the  Admiral,  though  hampered  with  women  and 
children,  made  their  way  across  France,  I  should  never  be 
surprised  at  anything.  You  see  there  is  not  a  place  where  she 
has  not  friends;  these  pestilent  Huguenots  are  everywhere. 
She  will  get  warning  of  danger,  and  guides  across  the  country 
— peasants  who  know  every  by-road  through  the  fields  and 
every  shallow  in  the  rivers.  It  would  be  far  better  to  make 
sure  of  her  and  her  son  by  seizing  them  at  Ne"rac." 

"Besides,"  St.  Amand  said,  "there  are  reports  of  move- 
ments of  Huguenots  all  over  Guyenne ;  and  I  heard  a  rumour 
last  night  that  the  Seneschal  of  Armagnac  has  got  a  considera- 
ble gathering  together.  These  Huguenots  seem  to  spring  out 
of  the  ground.  Six  weeks  ago  no  one  believed  that  there  was 
a  corner  of  France  where  they  could  gather  a  hundred  men 
together,  and  now  they  are  everywhere  in  arms." 

"I  think,"  Maignan  said,  "that  you  need  not  be  uneasy 
about  the  Queen  of  Navarre.  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  say  what 
I  have  heard,  but  I  fancy  that  before  many  hours  she  will  be 
on  her  way  to  Paris,  willingly  or  unwillingly.  As  for  the  sen- 
eschal, he  and  the  others  will  be  hunted  down  as  soon  as  this 
matter  is  settled.  A  day  or  two  sooner  or  later  will  make  no 


JEANNE    OF   NAVARRE  191 

difference  there,  and  until  the  queen  is  taken  the  troops  will 
have  to  stay  in  their  present  stations.  My  only  fear  is  that, 
seeing  she  can  have  no  hope  of  making  her  way  north,  she 
will  slip  away  back  to  Navarre  again.  Once  there,  she  could 
not  be  taken  without  a  deal  of  trouble.  Whatever  is  to  be 
done  must  be  done  promptly.  Without  direct  orders  from 
the  court  no  step  can  be  taken  in  so  important  a  matter.  But 
the  orders  may  arrive  any  hour;  and  I  think  you  will  see  that 
there  will  be  no  loss  of  time  in  executing  them." 

"  And  Ne"rac  could  not  stand  a  long  siege  even  if  it  were 
strongly  garrisoned,  and  the  handful  of  men  she  has  got  with 
her  could  not  defend  the  walls  for  an  hour.  I  hope  she  may 
not  take  the  alarm  too  soon;  for  as  you  say,  once  back  in 
Navarre  it  would  be  difficult  indeed  to  take  her.  It  is  no 
joke  hunting  a  bear  among  the  mountains;  and  as  her  people 
are  devoted  to  her,  she  could  play  hide-and-seek  among  the 
valleys  and  hills  for  weeks — ay,  or  months — before  she  could 
be  laid  hold  of.  It  is  well  for  our  cause,  Maignan,  that  she 
is  not  a  man.  She  would  be  as  formidable  a  foe  as  the  Ad- 
miral himself.  Huguenot  as  she  is,  one  can't  help  respecting 
her.  Her  husband  was  a  poor  creature  beside  her;  he  was 
ready  to  swallow  any  bait  offered  him;  while  even  if  it  would 
seat  her  son  on  the  throne  of  France,  she  would  not  stir  a 
hand's-breadth  from  what  she  thinks  right." 

Philip  finished  his  meal  and  then  went  out  into  the  square. 
The  news  was  satisfactory.  No  order  had  yet  arrived  for  the 
seizure  of  the  queen;  and  though  one  was  evidently  looked 
for  to  arrive  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours,  it  would  then  be 
too  late  to  take  any  steps  until  nightfall  at  the  earliest,  and 
by  nine  o'clock  the  queen  would  have  left  Ne"rac.  No  move- 
ment was  intended  at  present  against  the  seneschal,  nor  did 
the  idea  that  the  queen  might  attempt  to  join  him  seem  to  be 
entertained.  It  was  possible,  however,  that  such  a  suspicion 
might  have  occurred  to  the  governor,  and  that  some  troops 
might  secretly  be  sent  off  later.  He  must  try  to  learn  some- 
thing more. 

Confident  that  he  could  not  be  suspected  of  being  aught 
but  what  he  appeared,  a  Catholic  gentleman — for  his  garments 
were  of  much  brighter  hue  than  those  affected  by  the  Hugue- 


192  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

nots, — he  strolled  quietly  along,  pausing  and  looking  into 
shops  when  he  happened  to  pass  near  groups  of  soldiers  or 
gentlemen  talking  together.  So  he  spent  two  or  three  hours. 
No  word  had  reached  his  ear  indicating  that  any  of  the 
speakers  were  anticipating  a  sudden  call  to  horse.  He  saw 
that  Pierre  was  following  him,  keeping  at  some  distance  away, 
and  pausing  whenever  he  paused.  He  saw  no  signs  of  the 
other  two  men,  and  doubted  not  that  they  were,  as  he  had 
ordered,  spending  their  time  in  wine-shops  frequented  by  the 
soldiers,  and  listening  to  their  talk. 

Feeling  convinced  that  no  orders  had  been  given  for  the 
assembly  of  any  body  of  troops,  he  sat  down  for  a  time  at  a 
small  table  in  front  of  one  of  the  principal  wine-shops,  and 
called  for  a  bottle  of  the  best  wine,  thinking  that  the  fact  that 
he  was  alone  would  be  less  noticeable  so  than  if  he  continued 
to  walk  the  streets.  Presently  a  party  of  four  or  five  gentle- 
men sat  down  at  a  table  a  short  distance  off.  He  did  not 
particularly  notice  them  at  first,  but  presently  glancing  that 
way  saw  one  of  them  looking  hard  at  him;  and  a  thrill  of 
dismay  ran  through  him  as  he  recognized  the  gentleman  ad- 
dressed as  Raoul,  the  leader  of  the  party  that  had  stopped 
him  near  Bazas.  He  had,  however,  presence  of  mind  enough 
to  look  indifferently  at  him,  and  then  to  continue  sipping  his 
wine. 

The  possibility  that  this  gentleman  with  his  troop  should 
have  come  to  Agen  had  never  entered  his  mind ;  and  though 
the  encounter  was  a  most  unfortunate  one,  he  trusted  that  the 
complete  change  in  his  appearance  would  be  sufficient  to 
prevent  recognition,  although  it  was  evident  by  the  gaze  fixed 
on  him  that  the  gentleman  had  an  idea  that  his  face  was 
familiar.  To  move  now  would  heighten  suspicion  if  any 
existed,  and  he  therefore  sat  quiet,  watching  the  people  who 
passed  in  front  of  him,  and  revolving  in  his  mind  the  best 
course  to  be  taken  should  Raoul  address  him.  The  latter 
had  just  spoken  to  his  cousin,  who  was  sitting  next  to 
him. 

"Do  you  know  that  young  gentleman,  Louis?"  he  asked. 
"  I  seem  to  know  his  face  well,  and  yet  he  does  not  know  me, 
for  he  just  now  glanced  at  me  without  recognizing  me.  You 


JEANNE   OF  NAVARRE  193 

know  most  of  the  gentry  in  this  neighbourhood,  do  you  know 
him?" 

"  No,  I  cannot  say  that  I  do,  Raoul ;  though  I  too  seem  to 
have  a  recollection  of  his  face.  It  is  a  sort  of  face  one  re- 
members too.  I  should  think  his  family  must  belong  to  the 
north,  for  you  do  not  often  see  men  of  that  complexion  about 
here.  He  looks  very  young,  not  above  nineteen  or  twenty; 
but  there  is  a  look  of  earnestness  and  resolution  about  his  face 
that  would  point  to  his  being  some  years  older." 

Dismissing  the  matter  from  his  mind  Raoul  joined  in  the 
conversation  round  him.  Presently  he  grasped  his  cousin's 
arm. 

"I  know  where  we  saw  the  face  now,  Louis;  he  was  one  of 
the  four  fellows  we  stopped  two  days  since  near  Bazas." 

"Impossible,  Raoul!  Those  men  were  peasants,  though 
two  of  them  had  served  for  a  time  in  the  army;  the  others — " 
and  he  stopped. 

"  You  see  it  yourself,  Louis.  One  of  the  others  was  a  dark 
active  man,  the  other  was  but  a  lad — a  tall,  well-built  young 
fellow  with  fair  complexion  and  gray  eyes.  I  thought  of  it 
afterwards,  and  wondered  where  he  got  that  skin  and  hair 
from.  I  put  it  down  that  it  was  a  trace  of  English  blood,  of 
which  there  is  a  good  deal  still  left  in  Guyenne  and  some  of 
the  other  provinces  they  held  long  ago." 

"  I  certainly  see  the  likeness  now  you  mention  it,  Raoul, 
but  it  can  hardly  be  the  same.  This  is  a  gentleman;  he  is 
certainly  that,  whoever  he  may  be.  How  could  a  gentleman 
be  masquerading  about  as  a  peasant?  " 

"That  is  what  I  am  going  to  find  out,  Louis.  He  may 
have  been  a  Huguenot  making  his  way  down  to  join  the 
Queen  of  Navarre  at  Ne"  rac ;  he  may  be  one  of  her  train  there, 
who  had  gone  out  in  disguise  to  reconnoitre  the  country  and 
see  what  forces  of  ours  were  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  where 
posted.  That  may  be  his  mission  here,  but  this  time  he  has 
chosen  to  come  in  his  proper  attire." 

"  That  can  hardly  be  his  attire  if  he  is  one  of  Jeanne  of 
Navarre's  followers.  He  may  have  got  a  suit  for  the  pur- 
pose, but  assuredly  the  colours  are  too  gay  for  a  Huguenot 
in  her  train.  For  my  part,  I  see  nothing  suspicious  about 


194 


ST.   BARTHOLOMEW'S   EVE 


There,    he   is   paying  his  reckoning  and 


his   appearance, 
going." 

"And  I  am  going  after  him,"  Raoul  said  rising.  "There 
is  something  strange  about  the  affair,  and  there  may  be  some 
plot.  Do  you  come  with  me,  Louis.  Monsieur  D'Estanges, 
I  have  a  little  matter  of  business  on  hand,  will  you  come  with 
me?" 


CHAPTER  XII 


AN   ESCAPE   FROM   PRISON 

/^LANCING  half  round  as  he  turned  away  from  the  wine- 
VJ  shop,  Philip  saw  Raoul  and  two  of  his  companions  rising. 
He  walked  off  in  a  leisurely  manner,  and  a  few  paces  farther 
turned  down  a  side  street.  He  heard  steps  following  him,  and 
then  a  voice  said : 

"Hold,  young  sir;  I  would  have  a  word  with  you."  Philip 
turned  with  an  expression  of  angry  surprise. 

"Are  you  addressing  me,  sir?  I  would  have  you  know  that 
I  am  not  accustomed  to  be  spoken  to  in  that  fashion,  and  that 
I  bear  an  ins'ult  from  no  one." 

Raoul  laughed.  "Are  you  equally  particular,  sir,  when 
you  are  going  about  in  peasant's  clothes?  " 

"I  am  not  good  at  riddles,  sir,"  Philip  said  haughtily, 
"and  can  only  suppose  that  your  object  is  to  pick  a  quarrel 
with  me;  though  I  am  not  conscious  of  having  given  you 
offence.  However,  that  matters  little.  I  suppose  you  are  one 
of  those  gallants  who  air  their  bravery  when  they  think  they 
can  do  so  with  impunity.  On  the  present  occasion  you  may 
perchance  find  that  you  are  mistaken.  I  am  a  stranger  here, 
and  know  of  no  place  where  this  matter  can  be  settled,  nor 
am  I  provided  with  a  second;  but  I  am  quite  content  to  place 
myself  in  the  hands  of  one  of  these  gentlemen,  if  they  will 
act  for  me." 

"I  am  sure,  Raoul,  there  is  some  mistake,"  Louis  began, 
putting  his  hand  on  his  cousin's  shoulder.  But  the  other 
shook  it  off  angrily.  He  was  of  a  passionate  and  overbear- 

195 


196  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

ing  temper,  and  Philip's  coolness,  and  the  manner  in  which 
he  had  turned  the  tables  upon  him  and  challenged  him  to  a 
duel,  inflamed  him  to  the  utmost. 

"Hands  off,  Louis,"  he  said.  "Do  you  think  that  I,  Raoul 
de  Fontaine,  am  to  be  crowed  over  by  this  youth?  He  has 
challenged  me  to  fight,  and  fight  he  shall." 

"You  provoked  him,"  Louis  said  firmly.  "You  gave  him 
provocation  such  as  no  gentleman  of  honour  could  suffer.  It 
was  not  for  this  that  I  came  out  with  you,  but  because  you 
said  that  you  wished  to  unravel  what  may  be  a  plot." 

"I  will  cut  it,  which  will  be  easier  than  unravelling  it," 
Raoul  replied.  "  It  is  shorter  and  easier  work  to  finish  the 
matter  with  a  sword-thrust  than  to  provide  for  his  being  swung 
at  the  end  of  a  rope." 

"We  had  best  waste  no  time  in  empty  braggadocio,"  Philip 
said  coldly,  "  but  proceed  at  once  to  some  quiet  spot  where 
this  matter  can  be  settled  undisturbed." 

"I  think  the  young  gentleman  is  right,"  M.  D'Estanges,  a 
gentleman  of  the  court,  said  gravely.  "  The  matter  has  gone 
too  far  for  anything  else  now,  and  I  am  bound  to  say  that  your 
adversary,  of  whose  name  I  am  ignorant,  has  borne  himself  in 
a  manner  to  merit  my  esteem,  and  that  as  your  cousin  will  of 
course  act  for  you,  I  shall  be  happy  to  place  my  services  at 
his  disposal." 

"Let  us  get  beyond  the  gates,"  Raoul  said  abruptly,  turning 
on  his  heel  and  retracing  his  steps  up  the  lane  to  the  main 
street. 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,  for  offering  to  stand  by  one  of  whose  very 
name  you  are  ignorant,"  Philip  said,  as,  accompanied  by  Mon- 
sieur D'Estanges,  he  followed  the  others.  "It  is,  however, 
right  that  you  should  know  it.  It  is  Philip  Fletcher;  on  my 
father's  side  I  am  English,  on  my  mother's  I  am  of  noble 
French  blood,  being  cousin  to  Francois  de  Laville,  whose 
mother  and  mine  were  daughters  of  the  Count  de  Moulins." 

"Two  distinguished  families  of  Poitou,"  M.  D'Estanges  said 
courteously.  "  It  needed  not  that  to  tell  me  that  you  were  of 
good  blood.  I  regret  much  that  this  encounter  is  going  to 
take  place.  Monsieur  Raoul  de  Fontaine  was  in  the  wrong  in 
so  rudely  hailing  you,  and  I  cannot  blame  you  for  taking  it  up 


AN  ESCAPE   FROM   PRISON  197 

sharply;  although,  seeing  your  age  and  his,  and  that  he  is  a 
good  swordsman,  it  might  have  been  more  prudent  to  have 
overlooked  his  manner.  Unless,  indeed,"  and  he  smiled, 
"  Monsieur  Raoul  was  right,  and  that  you  are  engaged  on  some 
weighty  matter  here,  and  preferred  to  run  the  risk  of  getting 
yourself  killed  rather  than  have  it  inquired  into.  The  Coun- 
tess of  Laville  and  her  son  are  both  staunch  Huguenots,  and 
you  may  well  be  on  business  here  that  you  Avould  not  care  to 
have  investigated.  You  have  not  asked  my  name,  sir;  it  is 
Charles  D'Estanges.  I  am  a  cousin  of  the  Due  de  Guise,  and 
am  naturally  of  the  court  party;  but  I  can  esteem  a  brave 
enemy,  and  regret  to  see  one  engaged  in  an  encounter  in 
which  he  must  needs  be  overmatched." 

"I  am  a  fair  swordsman,  sir,"  Philip  said,  "though  my  arm 
may  lack  somewhat  of  the  strength  it  will  have  a  few  years 
later.  But  had  it  been  otherwise  I  should  have  still  taken  the 
course  I  have.  I  do  not  say  your  conjecture  is  a  correct  one, 
but  at  anyrate  I  would  prefer  the  most  unequal  fight  to  being 
seized  and  questioned.  One  can  but  be  killed  once,  and  it 
were  better  that  it  should  be  by  a  thrust  in  the  open  air  than 
a  long  imprisonment,  ending  perhaps  with  death  at  the  stake." 

Monsieur  D'Estanges  said  no  more.  In  spite  of  his  rela- 
tionship with  the  Guises  he,  like  many  other  French  Catholic 
nobles,  disapproved  of  the  persecutions  of  the  Huguenots,  and 
especially  of  the  massacres  perpetrated  by  the  lower  orders  in 
the  towns,  men  for  whom  he  had  the  profoundest  contempt. 
He  felt  sorry  for  his  companion,  whose  youth  and  fearless 
demeanour  moved  him  in  his  favour,  and  who,  he  doubted 
not,  had  come  to  Agen  to  confer  with  some  of  the  Huguenots, 
who  were  to  be  found  in  every  town. 

Issuing  from  the  gates,  they  went  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
along  the  road,  and  then  Raoul  led  the  way  into  a  small  wood. 
Here,  without  a  word  being  spoken,  Raoul  and  Philip  threw 
aside  their  cloaks  and  doublets. 

"Gentlemen,"  M.  D'Estanges  said,  "surely  this  quarrel 
might  be  arranged  without  fighting.  Monsieur  de  Fontaine 
addressed  my  principal,  doubtless  under  a  misapprehension, 
with  some  roughness,  which  was  not  unnaturally  resented.  If 
Monsieur  de  Fontaine  will  express  his  regret,  which  he  cer- 


198  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

tainly  could  do  without  loss  of  dignity,  for  the  manner  in 
which  he  spoke,  my  principal  would,  I  am  sure,  gladly  accept 
his  apology." 

"That  is  my  opinion  also,"  Louis  de  Fontaine  said,  "and  I 
have  already  expressed  it  to  my  cousin." 

"And  I  have  already  said  that  I  will  do  nothing  of  the  sort," 
Raoul  said.  "  I  am  fighting  not  only  in  my  own  quarrel,  but 
in  that  of  the  king,  being  well  assured  in  my  mind  that  this 
young  man,  whether  he  be,  as  he  now  appears,  a  gentleman  of 
birth,  or  whether,  as  I  saw  him  last,  a  peasant-boy,  is  engaged 
in  some  plot  hostile  to  his  majesty." 

"Then  there  is  nothing  more  to  be  said,"  Monsieur 
D'Estanges  said  gravely;  "but  before  you  begin  I  may  tell 
you,  Monsieur  de  Fontaine,  that  this  gentleman  belongs  to  a 
family  no  less  noble  than  your  own.  He  has  confided  to  me 
his  name  and  position,  which  I  think  it  as  well  not  to 
divulge.  Now,  Louis,  we  may  as  well  stand  aside.  We  have 
done  our  best  to  stop  this  quarrel,  and  to  prevent  what  I  can- 
not but  consider  a  most  unequal  contest  from  taking  place." 

The  last  words  were  galling  in  the  extreme  to  Raoul  de 
Fontaine.  Monsieur  D'Estanges  stood  high  at  court,  was  a 
gentleman  of  unblemished  reputation,  and  often  appealed  to 
on  questions  of  honour,  and  this  declaration  that  he  consid- 
ered the  combat  to  be  an  unequal  one  was  the  more  irritating 
since  he  was  himself  conscious  of  the  fact.  However,  he 
could  not  recoil  now,  but  with  an  angry  expression  of  face 
drew  his  sword  and  stood  on  guard.  Philip  was  no  less  ready. 
The  easy  attitude  he  assumed,  with  his  weight  for  the  most 
part  on  his  left  leg,  differed  so  widely  from  the  forward  atti- 
tude then  in  fashion  among  French  duellists,  that  Monsieur 
D'Estanges,  convinced  that  he  knew  nothing  of  sword-play, 
shrugged  his  shoulders  pityingly.  The  moment,  however,  that 
the  swords  grated  against  each  other,  and  Philip  put  aside  with 
a  sharp  turn  of  the  wrist  a  lunge  with  which  his  opponent 
intended  at  once  to  finish  the  combat,  the  expression  of  his 
face  changed. 

"The  lad  did  not  speak  boastfully  when  he  said  he  was  a 
fair  swordsman,"  he  muttered  to  himself.  "  He  does  not  fight 
in  our  fashion,  but  at  least  he  knows  what  he  is  about." 


AN   ESCAPE   FROM   PRISON  199 

For  some  minutes  the  fight  continued,  Raoul's  temper  rising 
higher  and  higher  as  he  found  every  attack  baffled  by  a  foe  he 
had  despised,  and  who  refused  to  fall  back  even  an  inch, 
however  hotly  he  pressed  him.  He  had  at  first  intended  either 
to  wound  or  disarm  him,  but  he  soon  fought  to  kill.  At  last  there 
was  a  fierce  rally,  ending  by  Philip  parrying  a  home-thrust  and 
returning  it  with  lightning  swiftness,  running  Raoul  de  Fon- 
taine through  the  body  with  such  force  that  the  hilt  of  his  sword 
struck  against  his  chest,  and  he  sank  lifeless  to  the  ground. 

"By  our  Lady,  young  gentleman, "  M.  D'Estanges  exclaimed, 
"  but  you  have  done  well !  You  said  that  you  were  a  fair 
swordsman;  truly  you  are  of  the  highest  class.  Raoul's  temper 
has  led  him  into  many  a  duel,  and  he  has  always  wounded  or 
killed  his  man.  Who  could  have  thought  that  he  would  receive 
his  death-blow  at  the  hands  of  a  youth  ?  But  whom  have  we 
here?  Peste  !  this  is  awkward."  As  he  spoke,  Count  Darbois, 
the  governor  of  Agen,  with  a  body  of  troopers,  rode  up.  He 
had  ridden  to  within  a  mile  or  two  of  Ne"rac,  and  questioning 
persons  from  the  town  learned  that  everything  was  quiet  there, 
and  that  no  fresh  body  of  Huguenots  had  arrived.  He  was 
on  his  way  back  when,  hearing  the  clash  of  swords,  he  had 
ridden  into  the  wood  to  inquire  into  its  meaning. 

"What  is  this?"  he  exclaimed.  "Why,  what  is  this,  Mon- 
sieur de  Fontaine?  Your  cousin,  Count  Raoul,  dead ! " 

Louis,  who  was  leaning  over  his  cousin,  looked  up. 

"  Alas !  I  fear  that  it  is  so,  Monsieur  le  Comte.  My  poor 
cousin  has  fallen  in  a  duel." 

"What  a  misfortune,  and  at  such  a  moment!  Is  it  not 
scandalous  that  at  a  time  like  this,  when  every  gentleman's 
sword  is  needed  in  defence  of  our  king  and  faith,  they  should 
indulge  in  private  quarrels?  And  is  it  you,  Monsieur  D'Es- 
tanges, who  has  done  his  majesty  this  bad  service?"  for  by 
this  time  Philip  had  resumed  his  doublet  and  cloak. 

"No.  I  only  stood  as  second  to  his  opponent,  who  has 
behaved  fairly  and  honourably  in  the  matter,  as  I  am  sure 
Count  Louis  will  testify." 

"Your  word  is  quite  sufficient,  Monsieur  D'Estanges.  And 
who  is  this  gentleman  who  has  thus  slain  one  who  had  no 
mean  reputation  as  a  swordsman?  " 


200  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"A  young  gentleman  passing  through  Agen.  The  quarrel 
arose  through  a  rencontre  in  the  street.  Count  Raoul  was,  as 
was  his  nature,  hasty,  and  put  himself  in  the  wrong.  The 
gentleman  resented  his  language,  and  a  meeting  was  at  once 
arranged.  Count  Louis  and  myself  were  with  Raoul,  and  as 
his  opponent  was  alone,  and  it  was  not  desirable  to  draw  others 
into  the  matter,  I  offered  to  act  as  his  second,  and  he  accepted 
it  at  once.  We  came  here.  Count  Louis  and  I  made  a  final 
effort  to  persuade  Raoul  to  apologize  for  his  language.  He 
refused  to  do  so  and  they  fought,  and  you  see  the  conse- 
quence." 

"But  who  is  this  stranger?  "  the  governor  asked  again. 

"Count  Raoul  did  not  feel  it  necessary  to  ask,  Count;  and 
I  think,  as  he  waived  the  point,  and  the  affair  is  now 
terminated,  it  would  be  well  that  his  opponent  should  be 
permitted  to  withdraw  without  questions." 

"That  is  all  very  well  for  you,  Monsieur  D'Estanges,  as  a 
party  in  a  private  quarrel,  but  as  governor  of  Agen  it  is  my 
duty  to  satisfy  myself  as  to  who  this  stranger  who  has  killed  an 
officer  of  the  king  may  be." 

He  turned  his  horse,  and  for  the  first  time  obtained  a  view 
of  Philip,  who,  seeing  the  impossibility  of  escape,  had  been 
standing  quietly  by. 

"Why,  it  is  but  a  youth!"  he  exclaimed.  "You  say  he 
slew  Count  Raoul  in  fair  fight,  Monsieur  D'Estanges?  " 

"In  as  fair  a  fight  as  ever  I  saw,  Monsieur  le  Comte." 

"Who  are  you,  sir?  "  the  governor  asked  Philip. 

"  I  am  a  stranger  travelling  through  Agen  on  private  busi- 
ness," Philip  said  quietly. 

"But  what  is  your  name  and  family,  sir?  " 

"I  am  English,"  Philip  replied.  "My  name  is  Philip 
Fletcher." 

"A  Huguenot,  I  will  be  bound?  "  the  governor  said  angrily. 

"  Not  at  all,  Count.  I  am  of  the  religion  of  my  nation — a 
Protestant." 

"It  is  the  same  thing,"  the  governor  said.  "It  is  clear 
that,  for  whatever  purpose  you  may  be  in  Agen,  you  are  here 
for  no  good.  This  is  a  serious  matter,  Monsieur  D'Estanges." 

"  As  I  have  said,  I  know  nothing  of  this  gentleman,  Count. 


AN  ESCAPE   FROM   PRISON  201 

I  saw  him  for  the  first  time  a  little  over  half  an  hour  ago,  and 
on  every  account  I  wish  that  I  had  not  seen  him.  He  has 
killed  my  friend  Raoul,  deprived  his  majesty  of  a  staunch 
adherent,  and  has  got  himself  into  trouble.  But  for  all  that, 
I  am  assured  by  his  conduct  and  bearing  in  this  business  that 
he  is  an  honourable  gentleman,  and  I  intreat  you,  as  a  personal 
favour,  Count,  that  you  allow  him  to  go  free." 

"I  would  do  much  to  oblige  you,  Monsieur  D'Estanges,  but 
he  is  an  Englishman,  and  a  Protestant  by  his  own  confession, 
and  therefore  can  only  be  here  to  aid  the  men  who  have  risen 
in  rebellion,  and  to  conspire  with  the  king's  enemies.  He 
will  be  placed  in  close  charge,  and  when  the  present  pressing 
affairs  have  been  put  out  of  Hand,  I  doubt  not  we  shall  find 
means  of  learning  a  good  deal  more  about  this  mysterious 
person,  who  claims  to  be  English  but  who  yet  speaks  our 
language  like  a  Frenchman." 

"As  to  that  matter,  I  can  satisfy  you  at  once,"  Philip  said. 
"  My  mother  was  a  French  lady,  a  daughter  of  the  Count  de 
Moulins  of  Poitou." 

"A  Huguenot  family,  if  I  mistake  not,"  the  governor  said 
coldly.  "  Well,  we  have  other  things  to  think  of  now.  Cap- 
tain Carton,  place  two  troopers  one  on  each  side  of  this 
person.  I  authorize  you  to  cut  him  down  if  he  tries  to  escape. 
Let  four  others  dismount  and  carry  the  body  of  the  Count  de 
Fontaine  into  the  city.  You  will,  of  course,  take  the  com- 
mand of  his  troop,  Count  Louis,  seeing  that,  if  I  mistake  not, 
you  are  his  nearest  relative  and  the  heir  to  his  possessions." 

As  Philip  was  led  through  the  streets  he  caught  sight  of 
Pierre,  who  made  no  sign  of  recognition  as  he  passed.  He 
was  taken  to  the  castle,  and  confined  in  a  room  in  a  turret 
looking  down  upon  the  river.  The  window  was  closely  barred, 
but  otherwise  the  room  though  small  was  not  uncomfortable. 
It  contained  a  chair,  a  table,  and  a  couch.  When  the  door 
was  barred  and  bolted  behind  him,  Philip  walked  to  the  win- 
dow and  stood  looking  out  at  the  river. 

The  prospect  seemed  dark;  the  governor  was  unfavourably 
disposed  towards  him  now,  and  when  the  news  came  on  the 
morrow  that  the  Queen  of  Navarre  had  slipped  through  his 
fingers  his  exasperation  would  no  doubt  be  vented  on  him. 


202  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

What  was  now  but  a  mere  suspicion  would  then  become 
almost  a  certainty,  and  it  would,  as  a  matter  of  course,  be 
assumed  that  he  was  there  on  matters  connected  with  her 
flight.  That  he  was  a  Protestant  was  alone  sufficient  to  con- 
demn him  to  death,  but  his  connection  with  the  queen's  flight 
would,  beyond  all  question,  seal  his  fate.  Pierre,  he  felt  sure, 
would  do  all  that  he  could  for  him;  but  that  could  amount 
to  almost  nothing.  Even  if  he  had  the  means  of  filing  through 
or  removing  the  bars,  it  would  need  a  long  stout  rope  to  enable 
him  to  descend  to  the  water's  edge,  a  hundred  feet  below  him; 
and  that  he  could  obtain  possession  of  either  file  or  rope 
seemed  to  him  as  absolutely  impossible. 

"Nevertheless,"  he  said  to  himself,  "I  will  let  Pierre  know 
where  I  am  confined.  I  do  not  see  that  it  can  do  any  good. 
But  he  is  a  fellow  of  resource;  I  have  great  faith  in  him,  and 
though  I  can  see  no  possible  plan  of  escape,  he,  being  without, 
may  try  something.  I  have  no  doubt  that  his  first  endeavour 
will  be  to  find  out  where  I  am  confined.  I  warrant  he  will 
know  my  cap  if  he  sees  it.  He  has  an  eye  like  a  hawk,  and 
if  he  sees  anything  outside  one  of  the  windows  he  will  suspect 
at  once  that  it  is  a  signal,  and  when  he  once  looks  closely  at 
it  he  will  make  out  its  orange  tint  and  these  three  long  cock's 
feathers." 

So  saying  he  thrust  one  of  his  arms  through  the  bars  with 
the  cap,  which  he  allowed  to  hang  down  against  the  wall 
below.  There  he  stood  for  two  hours,  closely  examining  every 
boat  that  came  along.  At  last  he  saw  one  rowed  by  two  men 
with  a  third  sitting  in  the  stern,  and  had  no  difficulty  in  mak- 
ing out,  as  it  came  closer,  that  this  was  Pierre,  who  was  gazing 
at  the  castle.  Presently  he  saw  him  suddenly  clap  his  hands 
and  speak  to  the  rowers.  These  did  not  look  up  but  con- 
tinued to  row  on  in  the  same  leisurely  way  as  before,  nor  did 
Pierre  again  glance  at  the  castle.  Satisfied  that  his  signal  had 
been  observed,  Philip  withdrew  it  but  continued  to  watch  the 
boat.  It  went  half  a  mile  higher  up,  then  turned  and  floated 
quietly  down  the  stream  again.  When  he  had  seen  it  pass  the 
bridge  he  threw  himself  down  on  the  couch. 

"There  is  nothing  more  for  me  to  do,"  he  said;  "the  matter 
is  in  Pierre's  hands  now." 


PHILIP   IN   PRISON. 


AN   ESCAPE   FROM   PRISON  203 

He  listened  for  a  time  to  the  tramp  of  a  sentry  backwards 
and  forwards  outside  his  door  and  then  fell  off  to  sleep,  from 
which  he  did  not  awake  until  he  heard  the  bars  withdrawn  and 
the  key  turned  in  the  lock.  Then  a  man  accompanied  by  two 
soldiers  entered,  and  placed  a  chicken,  a  bottle  of  wine,  and 
a  loaf  of  bread  on  the  table.  "Monsieur  D'Estanges  sends 
this  with  his  compliments,"  he  said;  and  then  Philip  was 
again  left  alone. 

Two  hours  after  it  became  dark  he  thought  he  heard  a  con- 
fused sound  as  of  the  trampling  of  a  number  of  horsemen  in 
the  courtyard  of  the  castle.  He  went  to  the  door  and  placing 
his  ear  against  it  was  convinced  that  he  was  not  mistaken. 

"That  looks  as  if  an  expedition  were  about  to  start  some- 
where," he  said;  "  if  they  are  bound  for  Nerac  they  will  arrive 
there  too  late,  for  the  queen  will  by  this  time  be  setting  out. 
They  cannot  intend  to  scale  the  walls  to-night,  and  the  gates 
will  have  been  shut  long  ago;  they  are  probably  going  into 
ambush  somewhere  near  so  as  to  ride  in  in  the  morning.  I 
wish  I  could  be  certain  they  are  bound  in  that  direction. 
There  was  certainly  no  idea  of  an  expedition  this  morning,  but 
it  is  possible  that  the  messenger  with  the  order  for  the  arrest 
of  the  queen  and  prince  may  have  arrived  this  afternoon,  and 
the  governor  is  losing  no  time.  I  trust  it  is  so,  and  not  that 
news  has  come  from  some  spy  at  Ne"rac  that  she  will  leave  the 
place  to-night.  If  it  is  so  this  party  may  be  setting  out  to 
strengthen  the  guards  on  the  river,  or  to  occupy  the  roads  by 
which  she  would  travel  were  her  purpose  to  join  the  seneschal. 
I  trust  that  Pierre  and  the  others  are  on  the  alert  and  not  wast- 
ing, their  time  in  thinking  about  me,  and  that  if  this  troop 
make  along  the  river  they  will  ride  to  warn  the  queen  in  time. 
Hearing  nothing  she  will  assume  that  the  road  is  clear,  and 
that  she  can  go  on  fearlessly.  It  is  enough  to  drive  one  mad 
being  cooped  up  here  when  the  whole  success  of  the  cause  is 
at  stake." 

The  character  of  the  sentry's  walk  had  changed.  He  had 
been  relieved  some  four  hours  before,  and  his  walk  at  times 
ceased  as  if  he  were  leaning  against  the  wall  to  rest  himself, 
while  at  times  he  gave  an  impatient  stamp  with  his  feet. 

"  I  expect  they  have  forgotten  to  relieve  him,"  Philip  said  to 


204  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

himself;  "if  a  strong  body  has  gone  out  that  might  very  well 
be." 

Another  half-hour  passed,  and  then  he  heard  steps  ascend- 
ing the  stone  staircase  and  the  sentry  exclaimed  angrily,  "  Sa- 
pristie,  comrade,  I  began  to  think  I  was  going  to  be  kept  all 
night  at  my  post,  and  that  every  one  had  ridden  out  with  that 
party  that  started  half  an  hour  ago.  Now,  then;  the  orders 
are,  'Permit  no  one  to  approach,  refuse  even  to  allow  officers  to 
visit  the  prisoner  without  a  special  order  of  the  governor.' 
That  is  all.  Now  I  am  off  for  a  tankard  of  spiced  wine, 
which  I  think  I  have  earned  well,  for  it  is  a  good  hour  after 
my  time  of  relief." 

Then  Philip  heard  his  footsteps  descending  the  stairs,  while 
the  man  who  had  relieved  him  walked  briskly  up  and  down  in 
front  of  the  door.  In  a  minute  or  two  he  stopped,  then 
Philip  turned  with  a  start  from  the  window  at  which  he  was 
standing,  as  he  heard  through  the  keyhole  a  loud  whisper, 
"Monsieur  Philip,  are  you  asleep?  It  is  I !  " 

"Why,  Pierre!"  he  exclaimed,  running  to  the  door  and 
putting  his  mouth  to  the  keyhole;  "how  did  you  come  here?  " 

"  I  will  tell  you  that  later,  master,  the  thing  is  now  to  get 
you  out;  the  bolts  here  are  easy  enough  to  draw,  but  this  lock 
puzzles  me.  I  have  brought  up  two  thin  saws  and  an  auger, 
and  thought  to  cut  round  it,  but  there  is  a  plate  of  iron  out- 
side." 

"And  there  is  one  inside  too,  Pierre.  How  about  the 
hinges,  Pierre?" 

"  There  is  no  doing  anything  with  them,  master,  the  iron- 
work goes  right  across  the  door.  There  is  nothing  for  it  but 
to  cut  right  round  the  iron  plate." 

"That  won't  take  very  long  if  the  saws  are  good,  Pierre." 

Philip  heard  a  rasping  sound,  and  in  a  short  time  the  auger 
passed  through  the  woodwork.     Two  other  holes  adjoining 
the  first  were  soon  made,  and  then  the  end  of  a  saw  was  pushecS 
through. 

"  If  you  can  make  a  hole  large  enough  at  the  bottom  of  the 
plate,  Pierre,  and  pass  me  the  other  saw  through,  I  can  work 
that  way  to  meet  you." 

"  It  would  take  too  long  to  make,  sir.     I  have  plenty  of  oil, 


AN   ESCAPE   FROM  PRISON  205 

and  it  won't  take  me  long  to  saw  round  the  plate.  I  only 
brought  the  second  saw  in  case  the  first  should  break.  But 
this  oak  is  pretty  nearly  as  hard  as  iron." 

It  took  over  an  hour's  work  before  the  cut  was  complete. 
When  it  was  nearly  finished  Pierre  said,  "  Be  ready  to  seize 
the  piece  that  is  cut  out  as  soon  as  I  am  through  with  it,  mas- 
ter, otherwise  it  may  fall  down  as  the  door  opens  and  make  a 
clatter  that  will  be  heard  all  over  the  castle." 

As  the  last  piece  was  sawn  through  Philip  pressed  the 
door,  and  as  it  opened  seized  the  portion  cut  out,  drew  it 
backward,  and  laid  it  gently  on  the  stone  floor,  then  he  rose 
and  grasped  Pierre's  hand. 

"  My  brave  Pierre,  you  have  accomplished  what  I  thought 
was  an  impossibility.  Now,  what  is  the  next  thing  to  be 
done?" 

"  The  next  thing  is  to  unwind  this  rope  from  my  body.  It 
is  lucky  I  am  so  lean  that  it  did  not  make  me  look  bulky.  It 
is  not  very  thick,  but  it  is  new  and  strong,  and  there  are 
knots  every  two  feet.  Roger  is  waiting  for  us  below  in  a  boat. " 

"Where  is  Jacques?" 

"Jacques  has  ridden  off.  He  learned  before  sunset  that 
orders  had  been  issued  for  the  troops  to  assemble;  he  and 
Roger  had  taken  the  four  horses  beyond  the  walls  an  hour 
after  you  were  arrested,  and  had  left  them  at  a  farmer's  a  mile 
away.  So  he  arranged  with  me  that  he  should  follow  the 
troop  on  foot,  which  he  could  do,  as  there  are  footmen  as  well 
as  horse  in  the  party  that  has  gone  out.  Then  as  soon  as  he 
discovered  which  way  they  were  going  he  would  slip  off  and 
make  for  the  farmhouse  and  mount.  If  they  were  bound  for 
Ne"rac  he  will  wait  for  us  at  the  point  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river.  If  they  follow  the  river  down,  he  will  ride  at  full 
speed,  make  a  circuit,  and  warn  the  queen  of  the  danger. 
He  will  have  plenty  of  time  to  do  that,  as  the  column  will 
bave  to  move  at  the  pace  of  the  infantry." 

"That  is  a  load  off  my  mind,  Pierre."  While  they  were 
speaking  they  had  unwound  the  rope,  fastened  one  end  to  the 
battlement  and  lowered  the  other  down. 

"I  will  go  first,  master;  I  am  the  lightest,  and  will  stead;/ 
the  rope  for  you  from  below." 


206  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

In  two  or  three  minutes  Philip  felt  that  the  rope  was  no 
longer  tight,  and  at  once  swung  himself  over  and  lowered 
himself  down.  The  water  washed  the  foot  of  the  wall,  and 
he  stepped  directly  into  the  boat,  which  Roger  was  keeping 
in  its  place  with  a  pole  while  Pierre  held  the  rope.  An  ex- 
clamation of  thankfulness  broke  from  the  two  men  as  his  feet 
touched  the  gunwale  of  the  boat,  and  then  without  a  word 
Roger  began  to  pole  the  boat  along  against  the  tide,  keeping 
close  to  the  foot  of  the  wall.  Once  fairly  beyond  the  castle 
the  pole  was  laid  in  and  the  two  men  took  the  oars,  and  the 
boat  shot  across  the  river.  Then  they  rowed  up  under  the 
opposite  bank,  until  a  voice  from  above  them  said : 

"Is  all  well — is  Monsieur  Philip  with  you?  " 

"All  is  well,  Jacques,"  Philip  exclaimed  delighted,  for  the 
fact  that  his  follower  was  there  showed  that  the  troops  had 
gone  in  the  direction  that  did  not  threaten  the  safety  of  the 
queen.  They  leapt  ashore  and  pushed  the  boat  off  to  allow 
it  to  float  down  with  the  stream. 

It  was  a  mile  to  the  spot  where  the  horses  had  been  left. 
On  the  way  Philip  heard  how  his  escape  had  been  effected. 

"  I  saw  you  go  out  from  the  town,  monsieur,  and  could  not 
for  the  life  of  me  make  out  what  was  going  to  happen.  I  did 
not  know  the  gentleman  you  were  walking  with,  but  I  recog- 
nized the  two  in  front  of  you  as  the  officers  of  the  troop  that 
had  questioned  us  near  Bazas.  One  of  them  was  talking 
angrily  to  the  other.  As  it  seemed  to  me  that  you  were  going 
willingly  and  not  as  a  prisoner,  and  especially  as  you  were 
going  out  of  the  town,  I  thought  that  it  was  my  business  to 
wait  until  you  returned.  I  saw  half  an  hour  later  some  horse- 
men coming  up  the  street,  and  some  one  said  that  it  was  the 
governor,  who  had  been  out  with  a  party.  It  gave  me  a  bad 
turn  when  I  saw  you  walking  as  a  prisoner  in  the  middle  of 
them.  I  saw  you  glance  at  me  but  of  course  made  no  sign, 
and  I  followed  until  you  entered  the  castle.  When  I  was 
walking  away  I  saw  a  crowd.  Pushing  forward  I  found  they 
were  surrounding  four  soldiers  who  were  carrying  a  body  on 
their  shoulders,  and  made  out  at  once  it  was  the  officer  who 
had  been  talking  so  angrily  to  his  companion.  Then  I  un- 
derstood what  had  puzzled  me  before,  and  what  you  had  gone 


AN    ESCAPE    FROM    PRISON  207 

outside  the  walls  for;  the  rest  was  easy  to  guess.  The  gov- 
ernor had  come  along,  you  had  been  questioned,  and  had 
been  arrested  as  a  Huguenot.  It  was  evident  that  no  time 
was  to  be  lost,  and  that  if  you  were  to  be  got  out  it  must  be 
done  quickly. 

"  I  hurried  away  to  the  cabaret  where  Jacques  and  Roger 
were  drinking.  We  talked  the  matter  over,  and  agreed  that 
the  first  thing  was  to  get  the  four  horses  out  of  the  town.  So 
I  went  to  the  inn  where  you  had  put  up,  said  I  was  your  ser- 
vant, paid  the  reckoning,  and  took  away  the  horse.  Then  I 
got  my  own  and  joined  the  other  two,  who  were  mounted  and 
ready.  They  each  took  a  horse^and  rode  off,  settling  to  leave 
them  at  some  farmhouse  a  short  distance  away,  explaining 
there  that  the  town  was  so  full  they  could  find  no  room  for 
them.  Directly  they  had  started  I  set  off  to  have  a  look  round 
the  castle.  The  great  thing  was  to  know  where  they  had 
lodged  you.  If  it  was  in  a  cell  looking  outward,  I  thought 
that,  knowing  I  should  be  searching  for  you,  you  would  make 
a  signal.  If  I  could  see  nothing  I  determined  to  accost  some 
servant  coming  out  from  the  castle,  to  make  acquaintance  with 
him,  and  over  a  bottle  of  wine  to  find  out  in  what  part  of  the 
castle  you  were  lodged. 

"  On  the  land  side  I  could  see  nothing,  and  then  went  back 
and  waited  till  Jacques  and  Roger  returned.  Then  we  took 
a  boat,  and  as  you  know  rowed  up,  and  I  soon  made  out  your 
cap  outside  the  wall.  Then  as  we  rowed  back  we  arranged 
matters.  Jacques  was  to  carry  out  your  former  orders :  find 
out  about  the  movement  of  troops,  and  warn  the  queen  if 
danger  threatened.  Roger  was  to  be  at  the  foot  of  the  wall 
with  a  boat  as  soon  as  it  became  dark;  I  was  to  undertake  to 
get  you  out.  The  first  thing  to  do  was  to  get  a  rope.  This 
I  carried  to  a  quiet  place  on  the  wall,  knotted  it  and  put  it 
round  me  under  my  doublet;  then  there  was  nothing  to  do  but 
to  wait.  I  went  several  times  to  hear  if  Jacques  had  any 
news,  and  was  glad  when  he  told  me  that  most  of  the  troops 
were  ordered  to  be  under  arms  at  eight  o'clock.  This  would 
make  matters  simpler  for  me,  for  with  numbers  of  people 
going  in  and  coming  out  of  the  castle  it  would  be  easy  to  slip 
in  unnoticed. 


208  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"  As  soon  as  it  was  dark  Jacques  and  I  went  down  a  lane, 
and  he  gave  me  his  steel  cap  and  breast-piece  and  took  my 
cap  in  exchange.  Then  I  went  up  towards  the  castle.  The 
gates  were  open,  and  I  was  told  that  they  would  not  be  closed 
until  midnight  as  so  many  were  coming  out  and  going  in,  and 
there  was  no  hostile  force  anywhere  in  these  parts.  Presently 
numbers  of  gentlemen  began  to  arrive  with  their  retainers, 
and  I  soon  went  in  with  a  party  of  footmen.  The  courtyard 
was  full  of  men,  and  I  was  not  long  before  I  found  the  stair- 
case leading  up  to  the  top  of  the  wall  on  the  river  side.  I 
went  boldly  up,  and  half-way  found  a  door  partly  open. 
Looking  in  I  saw  that  it  was  evidently  used  by  some  gentle- 
men who  had  gone  down  in  haste  to  join  the  party  below,  so 
I  shut  the  door  and  waited.  I  heard  the  troops  start,  and 
guessed  from  the  quiet  that  followed  that  the  greater  portion 
of  the  garrison  had  left.  I  felt  pretty  sure  that  there  would 
be  a  sentry  at  your  door,  and  waited  until  the  time  I  thought 
he  would  be  expecting  a  relief;  then  I  went  up.  He  was  in 
a  mighty  hurry  to  get  down,  and  did  not  stop  to  see  who  I 
was,  or  to  ask  any  questions;  which  was  well  for  him,  for  I 
had  my  knife  in  my  hand,  and  should  have  stabbed  him  be- 
fore he  could  utter  a  cry.  Everything  went  off  well,  and  you 
know  the  rest,  sir." 

"You  managed  wonderfully,  Pierre.  I  thought  over  every 
plan  by  which  you  might  aid  me  to  escape,  but  I  never  thought 
of  anything  so  simple  as  this.  Nor,  indeed,  did  I  see  any 
possible  way  of  your  freeing  me.  How  are  we  going  to  get 
our  horses?  The  farmer  will  think  that  we  are  a  party  of 
thieves." 

"They  are  in  an  open  shed,"  Jacques  said.  "I  told  the 
farmer  that  our  reason  for  bringing  them  out  of  the  town  was 
that  you  might  have  to  start  with  orders  any  time  in  the  night, 
and  that  it  would  be  troublesome  getting  them  out  from  town 
stables  and  having  the  gates  opened  for  them  to  pass  out, 
while  on  foot  you  could  issue  from  the  postern  without 
trouble.  I  paid  him  for  the  corn  when  I  left  them." 

The  horses,  indeed,  were  got  out  without  any  stir  in  the 
house  indicating  that  its  occupants  were  awakened. 

"Give  me  your  sword,  Pierre,"  Philip  said  as  he  mounted. 


AN   ESCAPE   FROM   PRISON  209 

"I  trust  that  we  shall  meet  with  no  enemies  on  the  road;  still 
we  may  do  so,  and  I  should  not  like  to  be  unarmed.  You 
have  your  arquebus." 

This  had  been  brought  in  the  boat  by  Roger,  and  on  land- 
ing Pierre  had  exchanged  the  steel  cap  and  breast-piece  for 
his  own  cap.  The  road  to  Villeneuve  D'Agenois  was  a  cross- 
country one,  and  would  be  impossible  to  follow  in  the  dark. 
Consequently,  after  keeping  on  the  main  road  for  half  an 
hour,  they  turned  off  a  road  to  the  right,  rode  until  they  came 
to  a  wood,  and  there  alighted. 

"Shall  I  light  a  fire,  sir?"  Pierre  asked. 

"It  is  not  worth  while,  Pierre;  it  must  be  getting  on  for 
midnight  now,  and  we  must  be  in  the  saddle  again  at  day- 
break. By  this  time  they  have  no  doubt  found  that  I  have 
escaped.  The  first  time  they  send  up  a  man  to  relieve  you 
the  open  door  will  be  noticed.  They  will  certainly  make  no 
search  to-night,  and  to-morrow  they  will  have  something  else 
to  think  about;  for  doubtless  some  spy  at  Ne"rac  will,  as  soon 
as  the  gates  are  open,  take  the  news  to  the  governor's  party 
that  the  queen  has  left." 

Two  hours'  brisk  ride  in  the  morning  took  them  within 
sight  of  Villeneuve  D'Agenois.  Riding  across  the  bridge  over 
the  river  Lot  he  entered  the  town.  The  street  was  full  of 
troops,  and  three  gentlemen  standing  at  the  door  of  an  inn 
looked  with  suspicion  on  the  gay  colouring  of  Philip's  cos- 
tume, and  as  he  alighted  they  stepped  forward  to  accost  him. 

"May  I  ask  who  you  are,  sir?"  one  said  advancing;  "and 
what  is  your  business  here?  " 

"Certainly  you  may,"  Philip  said,  as  he  dismounted. 
"  My  name  is  Philip  Fletcher.  I  am  here  at  the  order  of  her 
majesty  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  who,  I  trust,  has  arrived  here 
safely." 

"The  queen  arrived  here  three  hours  since,  Monsieur 
Fletcher;  and  I  may  say  that  she  did  you  the  honour  to  in- 
quire at  once  if  a  gentleman  of  your  name  had  arrived." 

"  I  should  have  met  her  at  the  river  near  Tonneins;  but  the 
governor  of  Agen  laid  an  embargo  on  me,  yet  thanks  to  these 
three  faithful  fellows  I  got  safely  out  of  his  clutches." 

"We  shall  march  in  an  hour,  Monsieur  Fletcher,  and  as 


210  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

soon  as  the  queen  is  up  I  will  see  that  she  is  acquainted  with 
your  coming.  Allow  me  to  introduce  myself  first,  Gaston  de 
Rebers.  Breakfast  is  ready  in  this  cottage,  and  we  were 
about  to  sit  down  when  we  saw  you  riding  up.  I  shall  be 
glad  if  you  will  share  it  with  us.  These  are  my  comrades, 
Messieurs  Duvivier,  Harcourt,  and  Parolles."  He  then 
called  a  sergeant. 

"Sergeant,  see  that  Monsieur  Fletcher's  servant  and  men- 
at-arms  have  a  good  meal." 

"I  think  they  must  want  it,"  Philip  said.  "They  have 
been  so  busy  in  my  service  that  I  doubt  if  they  have  eaten 
since  breakfast  yesterday.  I  myself  supped  well,  thanks  to 
the  courtesy  of  Monsieur  D'Estanges,  who  was  good  enough  to 
send  up  an  excellent  capon  and  a  bottle  of  wine  to  my  cell." 

"You  know  Monsieur  D'Estanges?"  Gaston  de  Rebers 
asked  courteously.  "  He  is  a  gentleman  of  high  repute,  and 
though  connected  with  the  Guises  he  is  said  to  be  opposed 
to  them  in  their  crusade  against  us." 

"I  had  only  the  honour  of  meeting  him  yesterday,"  Philip 
said,  as  they  sat  down  to  table;  "but  he  behaved  like  a  true 
gentleman,  and  did  me  the  honour  of  being  my  second  in  an 
unfortunate  affair  into  which  I  was  forced." 

"Who  was  your  opponent,  may  I  ask,  sir?  " 

"Count  Raoul  de  Fontaine." 

"A  doughty  swordsman!  Gaston  de  Rebers  exclaimed; 
"but- one  of  our  bitterest  opponents  in  this  province.  You 
are  fortunate  indeed  to  have  escaped  without  a  serious  wound, 
for  he  has  been  engaged  in  many  duels,  and  but  few  of  his 
opponents  have  escaped  with  their  lives." 

"He  will  neither  persecute  you  nor  fight  more  duels,"  Philip 
said  quietly;  "for  I  had  the  misfortune  to  kill  him." 

The  others  looked  at  him  with  astonishment. 

"  Do  I  understand  rightly,  Monsieur  Fletcher,  that  you  have 
slain  Raoul  de  Fontaine  in  a  duel?  " 

"That  is  the  case,"  Philip  replied.  "Monsieur  D'Estanges, 
as  I  have  said,  acted  as  my  second,  Count  Louis  de  Fontaine 
acted  for  his  cousin." 

"You  will  pardon  my  having  asked  you  the  question  again," 
De  Rebers  said;  "but  really  it  seemed  well-nigh  impossible 


AN   ESCAPE   FROM   PRISON  211 

that  a  gentleman,  who,  as  I  take  it,  can  yet  be  scarcely  of  age, 
should  have  slain  Raoul  de  Fontaine." 

"I  lack  four  years  yet  of  being  of  age,"  Philip  said;  "for 
it  will  be  another  month  before  I  am  seventeen.  But  I  have 
had  good  teachers,  both  English  and  French,  and  our  games 
and  exercises  at  school,  naturally  bring  us  forward  in  point  of 
strength  and  stature  in  comparison  with  your  countrymen  of 
the  same  age.  Still,  doubtless,  it  was  as  much  due  to  good 
fortune  as  to  skill  that  I  gained  my  success.  I  assuredly  had 
no  desire  to  kill  him;  the  less  so  because,  to  a  certain  extent, 
the  duel  was  of  my  making.  There  was,  as  it  seemed  to  me, 
no  choice  between  fighting  hinTand  being  denounced  by  him 
as  a  spy.  Therefore  when  he  accosted  me  roughly,  I  took  the 
matter  up  hotly,  and  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  an  encounter. 
As  I  have  said,  I  meant  only  to  wound  him,  but  his  skill 
and  his  impetuosity  were  so  great  that  I  was  forced  in  self- 
defence  to  run  him  through.  After  all  I  gained  nothing  by 
the  duel,  for  the  governor  with  a  troop  of  horse  came  up  just 
as  it  concluded,  and  as  I  could  give  no  satisfactory  account 
of  myself,  I  was  hauled  off  a  prisoner  to  the  castle." 

"And  how  did  you  escape  thence?  "  Gaston  asked. 

Philip  gave  an  account  of  the  manner  in  which  his  servant 
had  rescued  him. 

"  Parbleul  you  are  fortunate  in  your  servant.  I  would  that 
so  shrewd  a  knave — .  But  there,  the  trumpets  are  sounding. 
I  will  take  you  at  once  to  the  queen,  who  is  doubtless  ready  to 
mount." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

AT   LAVILLE 

THE  queen  was  standing  at  the  door  of  the  house  where  she 
had  lain  down  for  a  few  hours'  rest  after  her  arrival;  the 
Prince  was  standing  beside  her. 

"Here  is  our  English  friend,  mother,"  he  exclaimed,  run- 
ning forward  to  meet  Philip.  "  Welcome,  Monsieur  Fletcher. 
When  we  found  that  you  were  not  here  on  our  arrival  last  night 
we  feared  that  some  evil  had  befallen  you." 

"Monsieur  Fletcher  is  well  able  to  take  care  of  himself, 
Prince;  he  has  been  having  adventures  enough,"  Gaston  de 
Rebers  said. 

"You  must  tell  me  about  them  as  we  ride,"  the  Prince  said. 
"I  love  adventures,  M.  Fletcher." 

They  had  now  reached  the  queen.  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you, 
Monsieur  Fletcher.  Of  course  it  was  in  one  way  a  relief  to 
us  when  we  crossed  the  river  and  did  not  find  you  there,  for  I 
was  sure  you  would  have  been  there  to  give  us  warning  had 
there  been  danger  on  the  way;  but  I  thought  you  might  come 
in  any  case,  and  when  we  found  that  you  had  not  arrived  here 
before  us  I  was  afraid  that  something  might  have  befallen  you." 

"I  have  had  some  slight  troubles,  your  majesty,  and  to  my 
great  regret  I  was  unable  to  meet  you  at  the  passage  of  the 
river.  I  should  have  been  here  long  before  daylight,  but  we 
were  unable  to  find  the  road  in  the  dark,  and  had  to  wait  until 
we  could  inquire  the  way." 

"  Monsieur  Fletcher  is  pleased  to  say  that  he  has  had  some 
slight  troubles,  madame,"  Gaston  said;  "but  as  the  troubles 

212 


AT   LAVILLE  213 

included  the  slaying  in  a  duel  of  Raoul  de  Fontaine,  one  of  the 
bitterest  enemies  of  our  faith,  and  moreover  a  noted  duellist, 
and  an  escape  from  the  castle  of  Agen,  where  he  was  confined 
as  a  suspected  Huguenot  and  spy,  the  term  slight  does  not  very 
aptly  describe  them." 

"  What !  "  a  tall  soldierly  old  man  standing  next  to  the  queen 
exclaimed.  "  Do  you  mean  to  say,  De  Rebers,  that  Monsieur 
Fletcher  has  killed  Raoul  de  Fontaine  in  a  duel?  If  so,  I 
congratulate  your  majesty.  He  was  a  bitter  persecutor  of  the 
Huguenots,  and  one  of  the  hottest-headed  and  most  trouble- 
some nobles  in  the  province.  Moreover,  he  can  put  a  hundred 
and  fifty  men  into  the  field;  and  although  his  cousin  Louis, 
who  is  his  heir,  is  also  Catholic,"  he  is  a  man  of  very  different 
kind,  and  is  honoured  by  Huguenot  and  Catholic?  alike.  But 
how  this  gentleman  could  have  killed  so  notable  a  swordsman 
is  more  than  I  can  understand;  he  looks,  if  you  will  pardon 
my  saying  so,  a  mere  youth." 

"  He  rode  beside  Francois  de  la  Noiie  in  the  battle  of  St. 
Denis,  seneschal,"  the  queen  said;  "and  as  he  was  chosen  by 
my  cousin  Conde"  and  Admiral  Coligny  for  the  difficult  and 
dangerous  enterprise  of  carrying  a  communication  to  me,  it  is 
clear  that  whatever  his  years  he  is  well  fitted  to  act  a  man's 
part." 

"That  is  so,"  the  seneschal  said  heartily.  "I  shall  be  glad 
to  talk  to  you  again,  sir;  but  at  present,  madame,  it  is  time  to 
mount.  The  troops  are  mustering,  and  we  have  a  long  ride 
before  us.  If  you  will  lead  the  way  with  the  infantry  at  once, 
Monsieur  de  Rebers,  we  will  follow  as  soon  as  we  are  mounted. 
We  must  go  your  pace,  but  as  soon  as  we  start  I  will  send  a 
party  to  ride  a  mile  ahead  of  you,  and  see  that  the  roads  are 
clear." 

At  starting  the  queen  rode  with  the  Prince  and  the  seneschal 
at  the  head  of  the  mounted  party,  some  two  hundred  and  fifty 
strong,  and  behind  followed  the  noblemen  and  gentlemen  who 
had  come  with  her,  and  those  who  had  accompanied  the 
seneschal. 

Philip,  who  knew  no  one,  rode  near  the  rear  of  this  train, 
behind  which  followed  the  armed  retainers.  In  a  short  time 
a  gentleman  rode  back  through  the  party.  "Monsieur 


214  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Fletcher,"  he  said  when  he  reached  Philip,  "the  Prince  has 
asked  me  to  say  that  it  is  his  wish  that  you  shall  ride  forward 
and  accompany  him." 

Philip  turned  into  the  field,  and  rode  to  the  head  of  the 
party.  The  Prince,  who  was  looking  round,  at  once  reined  in 
his  horse  and  took  his  place  beside  him. 

"  Now,  Monsieur  Philip,  you  must  tell  me  all  about  it.  I 
am  tired  of  hearing  consultations  about  roads  and  Catholic 
forces.  I  want  to  hear  a  full  account  of  your  adventures,  just 
as  you  told  me  the  tale  of  your  journey  to  Ne"rac." 

During  the  course  of  the  day  several  parties  of  gentlemen 
joined  the  little  force.  So  well  organized  were  the  Huguenots, 
that  during  the  last  two  or  three  days  the  news  had  passed 
from  mouth  to  mouth  throughout  the  province  for  all  to 
assemble,  if  possible,  at  points  indicated  to  them;  and  all 
knew  the  day  on  which  the  seneschal  would  march  north  from 
Villeneuve.  Yet  so  well  was  the  secret  kept,  that  the  Catholics 
remained  in  total  ignorance  of  the  movement.  Consequently 
at  every  village  there  were  accessions  of  force  awaiting  the 
seneschal,  and  parties  of  from  ten  to  a  hundred  rode  up  and 
joined  them  on  the  march.  After  marching  twenty  miles  they 
halted  at  the  foot  of  a  chain  of  hills,  their  numbers  having 
been  increased  during  the  day  to  over  twelve  hundred  men. 
The  queen  and  her  son  found  rough  accommodation  in  a  small 
village,  the  rest  bivouacked  round  it. 

At  midnight  three  hundred  cavalry  and  two  hundred  foot- 
men started  across  the  hills,  so  as  to  come  down  upon  Bergerac 
and  seize  the  bridge  across  the  Dordogne;  then  at  daylight  the 
rest  of  the  force  marched.  On  reaching  the  river  they  found 
that  the  bridge  had  been  seized  without  resistance.  Three 
hundred  gentlemen  and  their  retainers,  of  the  province  of 
Perigord,  had  assembled  within  half  a  mile  of  the  other  side 
of  the  bridge,  and  had  joined  the  party  as  they  came  down. 
A  Catholic  force  of  two  hundred  men  in  the  town  had  been 
taken  by  surprise  and  captured,  for  the  most  part  in  their  beds. 

The  queen  had  issued  most  stringent  orders  that  there  was 
to  be  no  unnecessary  bloodshed,  and  the  Catholic  soldiers, 
having  been  stripped  of  their  arms  and  armour,  which  were 
divided  among  those  of  the  Huguenots  who  were  ill-provided, 


AT   LAVILLE  215 

were  allowed  to  depart  unharmed  the  next  morning,  some  fif- 
teen gentlemen  being  retained  as  prisoners.  Three  hundred 
more  Huguenots  rode  into  Bergerac  in  the  course  of  the  day. 
The  footmen  marched  forward  in  the  afternoon,  and  were 
directed  to  stop  at  a  village  twelve  miles  on.  As  the  next 
day's  journey  would  be  a  long  one,  the  start  was  again  made 
early,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  the  little  army,  which  had  been 
joined  by  two  hundred  more  in  the  course  of  the  day,  arrived 
within  sight  of  Pe"rigueux.  Five  hundred  horsemen  had  ridden 
forward  two  hours  before  to  secure  the  bridge. 

The  seneschal  had,  after  occupying  Bergerac,  placed  horse- 
men on  all  the  roads  leading  north  to  prevent  the  news  from 
spreading,  and  Pe"rigueux,  a  large  and  important  town,  was 
utterly  unprepared  for  the  advent  of  an  enemy.  A  few  of  the 
troops  took  up  arms  and  made  a  hasty  resistance,  but  were 
speedily  dispersed;  the  greater  portion  fled  at  the  first  alarm 
to  the  castle,  where  D'Escars  himself  was  staying.  He  had 
only  two  days  before  sent  off  a  despatch  to  the  court  declaring 
that  he  had  taken  his  measures  so  well  that  not  a  Huguenot  in 
the  province  would  take  up  arms.  His  force  was  still  superior 
to  that  of  the  horsemen,  but  his  troops  were  disorganized,  and 
many  in  their  flight  had  left  their  arms  behind  them,  and  he 
was  therefore  obliged  to  remain  inactive  in  the  citadel;  and 
his  mortification  and  fury  were  complete  when  the  seneschal's 
main  body  marched  through  the  town  and  halted  for  the  night 
a  league  beyond  it. 

The  next  day  they  crossed  the  Dronne  at  Brantome,  and 
then  turned  to  the  west.  The  way  was  now  open  to  them,  and 
with  two  thousand  men  the  seneschal  felt  capable  of  coping 
with  any  force  that  could  be  got  together  to  attack  them.  A 
halt  was  made  for  a  day  to  rest  the  men  and  horses,  and  four 
days  later,  after  crossing  the  Perigord  hills,  and  keeping  ten 
miles  south  of  Angouleme,  they  came  within  sight  of  Cognac. 
Messages  had  already  been  sent  on  to  announce  their  coming, 
and  five  miles  from  the  town  they  were  niet  by  the  Prince  of 
Cond£  and  the  Admiral. 

"Your  first  message  lifted  a  load  from  our  minds,  madame," 
the  Admiral  said;  "the  last  news  I  received  of  you  was  that 
you  were  still  at  Ne"rac,  and  as  an  intercepted  despatch 


216  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

informed  us  that  orders  had  been  sent  from  the  court  for  your 
immediate  arrest,  we  were  in  great  uneasiness  about  you." 

"We  left  N£rac  just  in  time,"  the  queen  said;  "for,  as  we 
have  learned,  the  governor  of  Agen  with  a  strong  force  left 
that  city  to  effect  our  capture  at  the  very  hour  that  we  started 
on  our  flight." 

"Did  you  know  where  you  would  find  us,  madame?  We 
sent  off  a  message  by  trusty  hands,  but  whether  the  gentleman 
reached  you  we  know  not." 

"Indeed  he  did,  and  has  since  rendered  us  good  service; 
and  Henri  here  has  taken  so  great  a  fancy  to  him  that  since 
we  left  Villeneuve  he  has  always  ridden  by  his  side." 

After  Cond£  had  presented  the  gentlemen  who  had  ridden 
out  with  him  to  the  queen,  and  the  seneschal  in  turn  had 
introduced  the  most  important  nobles  and  gentlemen  to  the 
prince  and  Admiral,  they  proceeded  on  their  way. 

"  Have  you  taken  Cognac,  cousin?  "  the  queen  asked  Conde". 

"  No,  madame ;  the  place  still  holds  out.  We  have  captured 
St.  Jean  d'Angely,  but  Cognac  is  obstinate,  and  we  have  no 
cannon  with  which  to  batter  its  walls." 

As  soon,  however,  as  the  queen  arrived  at  the  camp  a  sum- 
mons was  sent  in  in  her  name,  and,  influenced  by  this  and  by 
the  sight  of  the  reinforcements  she  had  brought  with  her, 
Cognac  at  once  surrendered.  As  soon  as  Philip  rode  into 
camp  he  was  greeted  joyously  by  his  cousin  Frangois. 

"We  did  not  think  when  we  parted  outside  Niort  that  we 
were  going  to  be  separated  so  long,"  he  said,  after  they  had 
shaken  hands  heartily.  "  I  was  astonished  indeed,  when  two 
days  later  I  met  the  Admiral  outside  the  walls  of  the  town 
again,  to  hear  that  you  had  gone  off  to  make  your  way  through 
to  Ne"rac.  I  want  to  hear  all  your  adventures.  We  have  not 
had  much  fighting;  Niort  made  but  a  poor  resistance,  and 
Parthenay  surrendered  without  striking  a  blow;  then  I  went 
with  the  party  that  occupied  Fontenay.  The  Catholics  fought 
stoutly  there,  but  we  were  too  strong  for  them.  Those  three 
places  have  given  La  Rochelle  three  bulwarks  to  the  north. 
Then  we  started  again  from  La  Rochelle  and  marched  to  St. 
Jean  d'Angely,  which  we  carried  by  storm.  Then  we  came  on 
here,  and  I  believe  we  shall  have  a  try  at  Saintes  or  Angou- 


AT   LAVILLE  217 

leme.  When  we  have  captured  them  we  shall  have  a  complete 
cordon  of  strong  places  round  La  Rochelle.  We  expect  La 
Noiie  down  from  Brittany  every  hour,  with  a  force  he  has 
raised  there  and  in  Normandy;  and  we  have  heard  that  a 
large  force  has  gathered  in  Languedoc,  and  is  advancing  to 
join  us;  and  all  is  going  so  well  that  I  fancy  if  Monsieur 
d'Anjou  does  not  come  to  us  before  long  we  shall  set  out  in 
search  of  him.  So  much  for  our  doings;  now  sit  down  com- 
fortably in  my  tent  and  tell  me  all  about  your  journey.  I  see 
you  have  brought  Pierre  and  your  two  men  back  with  you." 

"You  would  be  nearer  the  truth  if  you  said  that  Pierre  and 
the  two  men  had  brought  me  back,"  Philip  laughed;  "for  if 
it  had  not  been  for  them  I  should  probably  have  lost  my  head 
the  day  after  the  queen  left  Ne"rac." 

"That  is  a  good  beginning  to  the  story,  Philip;  but  tell  me 
the  whole  in  proper  order  as  it  happened." 

Philip  told  his  story  at  length,  and  his  cousin  was  greatly 
pleased  at  the  manner  in  which  he  had  got  through  his  various 
dangers  and  difficulties. 

The  queen  remained  but  a  few  hours  with  the  army  after 
Cognac  had  opened  its  gates.  After  a  long  conference  with 
the  Prince  of  Conde",  the  Admiral,  and  the  other  leaders,  she 
left  under  a  strong  escort  for  La  Rochelle,  leaving  the  young 
prince  with  the  army,  of  which  he  was  given  the  nominal 
command,  as  his  near  connection  with  the  royal  family,  and 
the  fact  that  he  was  there  as  the  representative  of  his  mother, 
strengthened  the  Huguenot  cause,  which  could  no  longer  be 
described  by  the  agents  of  the  French  court  with  foreign  powers 
as  a  mere  rising  of  slight  importance,  the  work  only  of  Conde*, 
Coligny,  and  a  few  other  ambitious  and  turbulent  nobles. 

"  I  asked  my  mother  to  appoint  you  as  one  of  the  gentlemen 
who  are  to  ride  with  me,  Monsieur  Fletcher,"  the  young  prince 
said  to  Philip  when  he  saw  him  on  the  day  after  the  queen's 
departure;  "but  she  and  the  Admiral  both  said  no.  It  is  not 
because  they  do  not  like  you,  you  know;  and  the  Admiral  said 
that  he  could  very  well  trust  me  with  you.  But  when  my 
mother  told  him  that  I  had  ridden  with  you  for  the  last  four 
days,  he  said  that  it  would  cause  jealousy,  when  there  were  so 
many  young  French  nobles  and  gentlemen  in  the  camp,  if  I 


218  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

were  to  choose  you  in  preference  to  them  as  my  companion, 
you  being  only  French  on  your  mother's  side  and  having  an 
English  name.  I  begged  them  to  let  me  tell  you  this,  for  I 
would  rather  ride  with  you  than  with  any  of  them;  and  I 
should  not  like  you  to  think  that  I  did  not  care  to  have  you 
with  me  any  more.  I  think  it  hard.  They  call  me  the  com- 
mander of  this  army,  and  I  can't  have  my  own  way  even  in  a 
little  thing  like  this.  Some  day,  Monsieur  Fletcher,  I  shall 
be  able  to  do  as  I  please,  and  then  I  hope  to  have  you  near 
me." 

"  I  am  greatly  obliged  to  your  Highness,"  Philip  said;  "but 
I  am  sure  the  counsel  that  has  been  given  you  is  right,  and  that 
it  is  far  better  for  you  to  be  in  the  company  of  French  gentle- 
men. I  have  come  over  here  solely  to  do  what  little  I  can  to 
aid  my  mother's  relations,  and  those  oppressed  for  their  faith; 
and  though  I  am  nattered  by  your  wish  that  I  should  be  near 
you,  I  would  rather  be  taking  an  active  share  in  the  work  that 
has  to  be  done." 

"Yes,  the  Admiral  said  that.  He  said  that  while  many  a 
youth  would  be  most  gratified  at  being  selected  to  be-  my 
companion,  he  was  sure  that  you  would  far  rather  ride  with 
your  cousin  M.  De  Naville,  and  that  it  would  be  a  pity  to  keep 
one  who  bids  fair  to  be  a  great  soldier  acting  the  part  of  nurse 
to  me.  It  was  not  quite  civil  of  the  Admiral,  for  I  don't  want 
a  nurse  of  that  kind,  and  would  a  thousand  times  rather  ride 
as  an  esquire  to  you  and  take  share  in  your  adventures.  But 
the  Admiral  is  always  plain-spoken;  still  as  I  know  well  that  he 
is  good  and  wise,  and  the  greatest  soldier  in  France,  I  do  not 
mind  what  he  says." 

Angouleme  and  Saintes  were  both  captured  without  much 
difficulty,  and  then  moving  south  from  Angouleme  the  army 
captured  Pons  and  Blaye,  and  thus  possessed  themselves  of  a 
complete  semicircle  of  towns  round  La  Rochelle.  A  short 
time  afterwards  they  were  joined  by  a  strong  force  of  Hugue- 
nots from  Languedoc  and  Provence.  These  had  marched 
north  without  meeting  with  any  enemy  strong  enough  to  give 
them  battle,  and  when  they  joined  the  force  under  the  Admiral 
they  raised  its  strength  to  a  total  of  three  thousand  cavalry  and 
twenty  thousand  infantry.  By  this  time  the  royal  army  of  the 


AT   LAVILLE  219 

Prince  d'Anjou,  having  united  with  that  raised  by  the  Guises, 
had  advanced  to  Poitiers.  The  season  was  now  far  advanced; 
indeed  winter  had  already  set  in.  Both  armies  were  anxious 
to  fight;  but  the  royalist  leaders,  bearing  in  mind  the  desper- 
ate valour  that  the  Huguenots  had  displayed  at  St.  Denis,  were 
unwilling  to  give  battle  unless  in  a  position  that  afforded  them 
every  advantage  for  the  movements  of  their  cavalry,  in  which 
they  were  greatly  superior  in  strength  to  the  Huguenots. 

The  Admiral  was  equally  determined  not  to  throw  away  the 
advantage  he  possessed  in  his  large  force  of  infantry;  and 
after  being  in  sight  of  each  other  for  some  time,  and  several 
skirmishes  having  taken  place,  both  armies  fell  back  into 
winter  quarters — the  severity  of  the  weather  being  too  great  to 
keep  the  soldiers  without  tents  or  other  shelter  in  the  field. 

During  these  operations  Philip  and  his  cousin  had  again 
ridden  with  Francois  de  la  Nolle,  who  had  rejoined  the  army 
after  a  most  perilous  march,  in  which  he  and  the  small  body 
of  troops  he  had  brought  from  Brittany  had  succeeded  in 
making  their  way  through  the  hostile  country,  and  in  crossing 
the  fords  of  the  intervening  rivers  after  hard  fighting  and 
considerable  loss. 

As  soon  as  the  intense  cold  had  driven  both  armies  to  the 
shelter  of  the  towns,  the  count  said  to  Francois:  "You  and 
Philip  had  better  march  at  once  with  your  troop  to  Laville. 
It  will  cost  far  less  to  maintain  them  at  the  chateau  than  else- 
where ;  indeed  the  men  can  for  the  most  part  return  to  their 
farms.  But  you  must  be  watchful,  Francois,  now  that  a  por- 
tion of  Anjou's  army  is  lying  at  Poitiers.  They  may,  should 
the  weather  break,  make  raids  into  our  country;  and  as  Laville 
is  the  nearest  point  to  Poitiers  held  for  us,  they  might  well 
make  a  dash  at  it." 

The  countess  welcomed  them  back  heartily,  but  expressed 
great  disappointment  that  the  season  should  have  passed  with- 
out the  armies  meeting. 

"  It  was  the  same  last  time,  it  was  the  delay  that  ruined  us. 
With  the  best  will  in  the  world  there  are  few  who  can  afford  to 
keep  their  retainers  in  the  field  for  month  after  month,  and 
the  men  themselves  are  longing  to  be  back  to  their  farms  and 
families.  We  shall  have  to  keep  a  keen  look-out  through  the 


220  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

winter.  Fortunately  our  harvest  here  is  a  good  one  and  the 
granaries  are  all  full,  so  that  we  shall  be  able  to  keep  the  men- 
at-arms  on  through  the  winter  without  much  expense.  I  feel 
more  anxious  about  the  tenants  than  about  ourselves." 

"  Yes,  mother,  there  is  no  doubt  there  is  considerable  risk 
of  the  enemy  trying  to  beat  us  up ;  and  we  must  arrange  for 
signals,  so  that  our  people  may  have  time  to  fall  back  here. 
Philip  and  I  will  think  it  over.  We  ought  to  be  able  to  con- 
trive some  scheme  between  us." 

"Do  so,  Francois.  I  feel  safe  against  surprise  here;  but 
I  never  retire  to  rest  without  wondering  whether  the  night  will 
pass  without  the  tenants'  farms  and  stacks  being  set  ablaze, 
and  they  and  their  families  slaughtered  on  their  own  hearth- 
stones." 

"I  suppose,  Francois,"  Philip  said  to  him  as  they  stood  at 
the  look-out  next  morning,  "  there  is  not  much  doubt  which 
way  they  would  cross  the  hills  coming  from  Poitiers.  They 
would  be  almost  sure  to  come  by  that  road  that  we  travelled 
by  when  we  went  to  Chatillon.  It  comes  down  over  the  hills 
two  miles  to  the  west.  There  it  is,  you  see;  you  just  catch 
sight  of  it  as  it  crosses  that  shoulder.  Your  land  does  not  go 
as  far  as  that,  does  it?  " 

"  No,  it  only  extends  a  mile  in  that  direction  and  four  miles 
in  the  other,  and  five  miles  out  into  the  plain." 

"Are  there  many  Huguenots  on  the  other  side  of  the  hill?  " 

"Yes,  there  are  some;  but,  as  you  know,  our  strength  is  in 
the  other  direction.  What  are  you  thinking  of?  " 

"  I  was  thinking  that  we  might  make  an  arrangement  with 
someone  in  a  village  some  seven  or  eight  miles  beyond  the 
hills,  to  keep  a  boy  on  watch  night  and  day,  so  that  directly  a 
body  of  Catholic  troops  were  seen  coming  along  he  should 
start  at  full  speed  to  some  place  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  and 
there  set  light  to  a  beacon  piled  in  readiness. 

"  We  on  our  part  would  have  a  watch  set  on  the  top  of  this 
hill  behind  us,  at  a  spot  where  the  hill  on  which  the  beacon 
was  placed  would  be  visible.  Then  at  night  the  fire  and  by 
day  the  smoke  would  serve  as  a  warning.  Our  watchman 
would  at  once  fire  an  arquebus  and  light  another  beacon,  which 
would  be  the  signal  for  all  within  reach  to  come  here  as  quickly 


AT   LAVILLE  221 

as  possible.  At  each  farmhouse  a  look-out  must,  of  course, 
be  kept  night  and  day.  I  should  advise  the  tenants  to  send 
up  as  much  of  their  corn  and  hay  as  possible  at  once,  and  that 
the  cattle  should  be  driven  up  close  to  the  chateau  at  night." 

"I  think  that  would  be  a  very  good  plan,  Philip.  I  am 
sure  that  among  our  men-at-arms  must  be  some  who  have 
acquaintances  and  friends  on  the  other  side  of  the  hill.  It 
will  be  best  that  they  should  make  the  arrangements  for  the 
firing  of  the  signal  beacon.  We  might  even  station  one  of 
them  in  a  village  there,  under  the  pretence  that  he  had  been 
knocked  up  with  the  cold  and  hardship  and  was  desirous  of 
staying  quietly  with  his  friends.  He  would  watch  at  night 
and  could  sleep  by  day,  as  his  friends  would  waken  him  at 
once  if  any  troops  passed  along." 

The  same  afternoon  one  of  the  men-at-arms  prepared  to 
start  for  a  village  eight  miles  beyond  the  hill. 

"There  is  no  rising  ground  near  it,"  he  said  to  Francois, 
"that  could  well  be  seen  from  the  top  of  the  hill  here;  but 
about  half  a  mile  away  from  the  village  there  is  an  old  tower. 
It  is  in  ruins,  and  has  been  so  ever  since  I  can  remeirdMr. 
I  have  often  climbed  to  its  top  when  I  was  a  boy.  At  this 
time  of  year  there  is  no  chance  of  anyone  visiting  the  place. 
I  could  collect  wood  and  pile  it  ready  for  a  fire  without  any 
risk  whatever.  I  can  point  out  the  exact  direction  of  the 
tower  from  the  top  of  the  hill,  so  that  the  watchers  would 
know  where  to  keep  their  attention  fixed." 

"  Well,  you  had  better  go  up  with  us  at  once  then,  so  that  I 
shall  be  able  to  instruct  the  men  who  will  keep  watch.  We 
will  build  a  hut  up  there  for  them  and  keep  three  men  on 
guard,  so  that  they  will  watch  four  hours  apiece  day  and 
night." 

The  distance  was  too  great  to  make  out  the  tower;  but  as 
the  soldier  knew  its  exact  position,  he  drove  two  stakes  into 
the  ground  three  feet  apart. 

"Now,"  he  said,  "a  man  looking  along  the  line  of  the  tops 
of  these  stakes  will  be  looking  as  near  as  may  be  at  the  tower." 

The  tenants  were  all  visited,  and  were  warned  to  keep  a 
member  of  their  family  always  on  the  watch  for  fire  or  smoke 
from  the  little  hut  at  the  top  of  the  hill.  As  soon  as  the 


222  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

signal  was  seen  night  or  day,  they  were  to  make  their  way  to 
the  chateau,  driving  their  horses  and  most  valuable  stock 
before  them,  and  taking  such  goods  as  they  could  remove. 

"  You  had  better  let  two  horses  remain  with  their  harness 
on  night  and  day,  and  have  a  cart  in  readiness  close  to  your 
house.  Then,  when  the  signal  is  given,  the  women  will  only 
have  to  bundle  their  goods  and  children  into  the  cart,  while 
the  men  get  their  arms  and  prepare  to  drive  in  their  cattle. 

"The  Catholics  will  show  no  mercy  to  any  of  the  faith  they 
may  find,  while  as  to  the  chateau  it  can  make  a  stout  resist- 
ance, and  you  may  be  sure  that  it  will  not  be  long  before  help 
arrives  from  Niort  or  La  Rochelle." 

Arrangements  were  also  made  with  the  Huguenot  gentry  in 
the  neighbourhood  that  they  should  keep  a  look-out  for  the 
signal,  and  on  observing  it  light  other  beacons,  so  that  the 
news  could  be  spread  rapidly  over  that  part  of  the  country. 
As  soon  as  the  fires  were  seen  the  women  and  children  were  to 
take  to  the  hills,  the  cattle  to  be  driven  off  by  the  boys,  and 
the  men  to  arm  themselves  and  mount. 

"Of  course,"  the  countess  said,  at  a  council  where  all  these 
arrangements  were  made,  "we  must  be  guided  by  the  number 
sent  against  us.  If  by  uniting  your  bands  together  you  think 
you  can  raise  the  siege,  we  will  sally  out  as  soon  as  you  attack 
and  join  you,  but  do  not  attack  unless  you  think  that  our 
united  forces  can  defeat  them.  If  we  could  defeat  them  we 
should  save  your  chateaux  and  farms  from  fire  and  ruin.  If 
you  find  they  are  too  strong  to  attack,  you  might  harass  parties 
sent  out  to  plunder,  and  so  save  your  houses,  while  you  despatch 
men  to  ask  for  help  from  the  Admiral.  If,  however,  they  are 
so  strong  in  cavalry  that  you  could  not  keep  the  field  against 
them,  I  should  say  it  were  best  that  you  should  ride  away  and 
join  any  party  advancing  to  our  assistance." 

A  month  passed  quietly.  Every  day  a  soldier  carrying  wine 
and  provisions  rode  to  the  hut  that  had  been  built  on  the  crest 
of  the  hill  three  miles  away.  Eight  o'clock  one  evening 
towards  the  end  of  January  the  alarm-bell  rang  from  the  look- 
out tower.  Philip  and  his  cousin  ran  up. 

"There  is  the  beacon  alight  at  the  hut,  count,"  the  look-out 
said. 


AT   LAVILLE  223 

"Light  this  bonfire  then,  Jules,  and  keep  the  alarm-bell 
going.  To  horse,  men !  "  he  cried  looking  over  the  parapet. 
"Bring  out  our  horses  with  your  own." 

The  men  had  been  previously  told  off  in  twos  and  threes  to 
the  various  farmhouses  to  aid  in  driving  in  the  cattle,  and  as 
soon  as  they  were  mounted  each  party  dashed  off  to  its  desti- 
nation. From  the  watch-tower  four  or  five  fires  could  be  seen 
blazing  in  the  distance,  showing  that  the  look-outs  had  every- 
where been  vigilant,  and  that  the  news  had  already  been 
carried  far  and  wide.  Francois  and  Philip  rode  up  to  the  hut 
on  the  hill. 

"There  is  no  mistake,  I  hope.?  "  Francois  said  as,  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  before  they  reached  it,  they  met  the  three  men-at- 
arms  coming  down. 

"  No,  count,  it  was  exactly  in  a  line  with  the  two  stakes,  and 
I  should  think  about  the  distance  away  that  you  told  us  the 
tower  was.  It  has  died  down  now." 

The  beacon-fire  near  the  hut  had  been  placed  fifty  yards 
below  the  crest  of  the  hill,  so  that  its  flame  should  not  be  seen 
from  the  other  side.  This  had  been  at  Philip's  suggestion. 
"If  it  is  put  where  they  can  see  it,"  he  said,  "they  will  feel 
sure  that  it  is  in  answer  to  that  fire  behind  them,  and  will  ride 
at  full  speed  so  as  to  get  here  before  the  news  spreads.  If 
they  see  no  answering  fire,  they  may  suppose  that  the  first  was 
but  an  accident.  They  may  even  halt  at  the  village,  and  send 
off  some  men  to  see  what  has  caused  the  fire,  or  if  they  ride 
straight  through  they  will  be  at  some  little  distance  before 
Simon  has  got  to  the  fire  and  lighted  it,  and  may  not  care  to 
waste  time  sending  back.  At  any  rate  it  is  better  that  they 
should  see  no  flame  up  here." 

They  had  often  talked  the  matter  over,  and  had  agreed  that 
even  if  the  column  was  composed  only  of  cavalry,  it  would  be 
from  an  hour  and  a  half  to  two  hours  before  it  arrived  at  the 
chateau,  as  it  would  doubtless  have  performed  a  long  journey, 
while  if  there  were  infantry  with  them  they  would  take  double 
that  time.  Directly  an  alarm  had  been  given  two  of  the 
youngest  and  most  active  of  the  men-at-arms  had  set  off  to  take 
post  at  the  point  where  the  road  crossed  the  hill.  Their  orders 
were  to  lie  still  till  all  had  passed,  and  then  to  make  their  way 


224  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

back  along  the  hill  at  full  speed  to  inform  the  garrison  of  the 
strength  and  composition  of  the  attacking  force. 

When  they  returned  to  the  chateau  people  were  already 
pouring  in  from  the  neighbouring  farms;  the  women  stagger- 
ing under  heavy  burdens,  and  the  men  driving  their  cattle 
before  them  or  leading  strings  of  horses.  The  seneschal  and 
the  retainers  were  at  work  trying  to  keep  some  sort  of  order, 
directing  the  men  to  drive  the  cattle  into  the  countess's  gar- 
den, and  the  women  to  put  down  their  belongings  in  the  court- 
yard where  they  would  be  out  of  the  way;  while  the  countess 
saw  that  her  maids  spread  rushes  thickly  along  by  the  walls  of 
the  rooms  that  were  to  be  given  up  to  the  use  of  the  women 
and  children.  Cressets  had  been  lighted  in  the  courtyard, 
but  the  bonfire  was  now  extinguished  so  that  the  enemy  on 
reaching  the  top  of  the  hill  should  see  nothing  to  lead  them  to 
suppose  that  their  coming  was  known.  The  alarm-bell  had 
ceased  sending  its  loud  summons  into  the  air;  but  there  was 
still  a  variety  of  noises  that  were  almost  deafening,  the  lowing 
of  cattle  disturbed  and  angered  at  the  unaccustomed  move- 
ment, mingled  with  the  shouts  of  men,  the  barking  of  dogs, 
and  the  crying  of  frightened  children. 

"  I  will  aid  the  seneschal  in  getting  things  into  order  down 
here,  Francois,"  Philip  said,  "while  you  see  to  the  defence  of 
the  walls,  posting  the  men,  and  getting  everything  in  readiness 
to  give  them  a  reception.  I  will  look  after  the  postern  doors, 
and  see  that  the  planks  across  the  moats  are  removed  and  the 
bolts  and  bars  in  place." 

Francois  nodded,  and  bidding  the  men-at-arms,  who  had 
already  returned,  stable  their  horses  and  follow  him,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  the  walls. 

"This  is  enough  to  make  one  weep,"  Pierre  said  as  the  oxen 
poured  into  the  courtyard,  and  then  through  the  archway  that 
led  to  the  countess's  garden. 

"What  is  enough,  Pierre?  to  see  all  these  poor  women  and 
children  who  are  likely  to  behold  their  homesteads  in  flames 
before  many  hours?  " 

"Well,  I  did  not  mean  that,  master,  though  I  don't  say  that 
is  not  sad  enough  in  its  way;  but  that  is  the  fortune  of  war, 
as  it  were.  I  meant  the  countess's  garden  being  destroyed. 


AT   LAVILLE  225 

The  beasts  will  trample  down  all  the  shrubs,  and  in  a  week  it 
will  be  no  better  than  a  farmyard." 

Philip  laughed.  "  That  is  of  very  little  consequence,  Pierre. 
A  week's  work  with  plenty  of  hands  will  set  that  right  again. 
Still,  no  doubt  it  will  vex  the  countess,  who  is  very  fond  of  her 
garden." 

"A  week!  "  Pierre  said.  "Why,  sir,  it  will  take  years  and 
years  before  those  yew  hedges  grow  again." 

"Ah  well,  Pierre,  if  the  countess  keeps  a  roof  over  her  head 
she  may  be  well  content  in  these  stormy  times.  You  had 
better  go  and  see  if  she  and  her  maids  have  got  those  cham- 
bers ready  for  the  women.  If  they  have,  get  them  all  in  as 
quickly  as  you  can.  These  beasts  come  into  the  courtyard 
with  such  a  rush  that  some  of  the  people  will  be  trampled  upon 
if  we  do  not  get  them  out  of  the  way." 

"  Most  of  them  have  gone  into  the  hall,  sir.  The  countess 
gave  orders  that  all  were  to  go  in  as  they  came,  but  I  suppose 
the  servants  have  been  too  busy  to  tell  the  late-comers.  I  will 
get  the  rest  in  at  once." 

As  soon  as  the  farmers  and  their  men  had  driven  the  animals 
into  the  garden  they  went  up  to  the  walls,  all  having  brought 
their  arms  in  with  them.  The  boys  were  left  below  to  look 
after  the  cattle. 

"Nothing can  be  done  to-night,"  Philip  said  to  some  of  the 
men.  "The  cattle  will  come  to  no  harm,  and  as  the  boys 
cannot  keep  them  from  breaking  down  the  shrubs  they  had 
best  leave  them  alone;  or  they  will  run  the  risk  of  getting 
hurt.  The  boys  will  do  more  good  by  taking  charge  of  the 
more  valuable  horses  as  they  come  in,  and  fastening  them  up 
to  the  rings  round  the  wall  here.  The  cart  horses  must  go  in 
with  the  cattle." 

Several  gentlemen  with  their  wives  and  families  came  in 
among  the  fugitives.  Their  houses  were  not  in  a  condition  to 
withstand  a  siege,  and  it  had  long  been  settled  that  they  should 
come  into  the  chateau  if  danger  threatened.  The  ladies  were 
taken  to  the  countess's  apartments,  while  the  gentlemen  went 
to  aid  Francois  in  the  defence. 

An  hour  and  a  half  after  the  lads  returned  to  the  castle,  the 
men-at-arms  who  had  been  sent  to  watch  the  road  came  in. 


226  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

They  reported  that  the  column  approaching  consisted  of  about 
three  hundred  mounted  men  and  fifteen  hundred  infantry. 
Roger  had  all  this  time  been  standing  by  the  side  of  his 
saddled  horse.  Philip  hurried  to  him  as  soon  as  the  men 
came  in. 

"  Three  hundred  horsemen  and  fifteen  hundred  foot !  Ride 
at  full  speed  to  La  Rochelle.  Tell  the  Admiral  the  numbers, 
and  request  him  in  the  name  of  the  countess  to  come  to  her 
assistance.  Beg  him  to  use  all  speed,  for  no  doubt  they 
will  attack  hotly,  knowing  that  aid  will  soon  be  forthcoming 
to  us." 

Roger  leapt  to  his  saddle  and  galloped  out  through  the  gate. 
A  man  had  been  placed  there  to  mark  off  the  names  of  all  who 
entered,  from  the  list  that  had  been  furnished  him.  Philip 
took  it  and  saw  that  a  cross  had  been  placed  against  every 
name.  He  therefore  went  up  to  the  top  of  the  wall. 
"The  tenants  are  all  in,  Francois?" 

"  Very  well,  then,  I  will  have  the  drawbridge  raised  and  the 
gates  closed;  I  am  glad  indeed  that  we  have  had  time  given 
us  for  them  all  to  enter.  My  mother  would  have  been  very 
grieved  if  harm  had  come  to  any  of  them.  I  have  everything 
in  readiness  here.  I  have  posted  men  at  every  window  and 
loophole  where  the  house  rises  from  the  side  of  the  moat;  all 
the  rest  are  on  the  walls.  I  will  take  command  here  by  the 
gate  and  along  the  wall.  Do  you  take  charge  of  the  defence 
of  the  house  itself.  However,  you  may  as  well  stay  here  with 
me  until  we  have  had  our  first  talk  with  them.  Pass  the  word 
along  the  walls  for  perfect  silence." 

In  another  half-hour  they  heard  a  dull  sound.  Presently  it 
became  louder,  and  they  could  distinguish,  above  the  tramp- 
ling of  horses,  the  clash  of  steel.  It  came  nearer  and  nearer 
until  within  two  or  three  hundred  yards  of  the  chateau,  then 
it  ceased.  Presently  a  figure  could  be  made  out  creeping 
quietly  forward  until  it  reached  the  edge  of  the  moat.  It 
paused  a  moment  and  then  retired. 

"  He  has  been  sent  to  find  out  whether  the  drawbridge  is 
down,"  Francois  whispered  to  Philip.  "We  shall  see  what 
they  will  do  now."  There  was  a  pause  for  ten  minutes,  then 
a  heavy  mass  of  men  could  be  seen  approaching. 


AT   LAVILLE  227 

"  Doubtless  they  will  have  planks  with  them  to  push  across 
the  moat,"  Philip  said. 

"We  will  let  them  come  within  twenty  yards,"  Francois 
replied,  "then  I  think  we  shall  astonish  them." 

Believing  that  all  in  the  chateau  were  asleep,  and  that  even 
the  precaution  of  keeping  a  watchman  on  the  walls  had  been 
neglected,  the  assailants  advanced  eagerly.  Suddenly  the 
silence  on  the  walls  was  broken  by  a  voice  shouting,  "  Give 
fire !  "  and  then  from  along  the  whole  face  of  the  battlement 
a  deadly  fire  from  arquebuses  was  poured  into  them.  A 
moment  later  half  a  dozen  fire-balls  were  flung  into  the  col- 
umn, and  a  rain  of  cross-bolts  followed. 

Shouts  of  astonishment,  rage,  and  pain  broke  from  the  mass, 
and  breaking  up  they  recoiled  in  confusion,  while  the  shouts 
of  the  officers  urging  them  forward  could  be  heard.  The 
heavy  fire  from  the  walls  was,  however,  too  much  for  men  who 
had  expected  no  resistance,  but  had  moved  forward  believing 
that  they  had  but  to  sack  and  plunder,  and  in  two  or  three 
minutes  from  the  first  shot  being  fired  all  who  were  able  to 
do  so  had  retired,  though  a  number  of  dark  figures  dotting 
the  ground  showed  how  deadly  had  been  the  fire  of  the  be- 
sieged. 

"They  will  do  nothing  more  to-night,  I  fancy,"  one  of  the 
Huguenot  gentleman  standing  by  the  two  friends  remarked. 
"  They  expected  to  take  you  entirely  by  surprise.  Now  that 
they  have  failed  in  doing  so  they  will  wait  until  morning  to 
reconnoitre  and  decide  on  the  best  points  of  attack.  Besides, 
no  doubt  they  have  marched  far,  and  are  in  need  of  rest  before 
renewing  the  assault." 

"Well,  gentlemen,"  Francois  said,  "it  would  be  needless 
for  you  all  to  remain  here,  and  when  they  once  begin  in  ear- 
nest there  will  be  but  slight  opportunity  of  rest  until  relief 
reaches  us,  therefore  I  beg  you  to  go  below.  You  will  find  a 
table  laid  in  the  hall  and  two  chambers  roughly  prepared  for 
you,  and  you  can  get  a  few  hours'  sleep.  I  myself  with  my 
own  men  will  keep  watch.  Should  they  muster  for  another 
attack  my  horn  will  summon  you  again  to  the  wall.  Philip, 
will  you  go  down  and  see  that  these  gentlemen  have  all  that 
they  require?  You  can  dismiss  all  save  our  own  men  from 


228  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

guard  on  the  other  side  of  the  house.  The  tenants  and  their 
men  will  all  sleep  in  the  hall." 

Philip  went  down  and  presided  at  the  long  table.  The 
gentlemen  were  seated  near  him,  while  below  them  the  tenants 
and  other  followers  took  their  places.  There  was  enough  cold 
meat,  game,  and  pies  for  all,  and  when  they  had  finished,  the 
defenders  of  the  wall  came  down  half  at  a  time  for  a  meal. 
When  the  gentlemen  had  retired  to  their  apartments,  and  the 
farmers  and  their  men  had  thrown  themselves  down  upon  the 
rushes  strewn  on  each  side  of  the  hall,  Philip  went  up  to  join 
Francois. 

"Any  sign  of  them,  Francois?" 

"  None  at  all.  I  expect  they  are  thoroughly  tired  out,  and 
are  lying  down  just  as  they  halted.  There  is  no  fear  that  we 
shall  hear  any  more  of  them  to-night." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE   ASSAULT   ON  THE   CHATEAU 

'THE  night  passed  quietly.  Just  as  the  sun  rose  a  trumpet 
1  sounded,  calling  for  a  truce,  and  two  knights  in  armour 
rode  forward,  followed  by  an  esquire  carrying  a  white  flag. 
They  halted  thirty  or  forty  yards  from  the  gate ;  and  the  coun- 
tess herself  came  up  on  to  the  wall,  when  the  knight  raised 
his  vizor. 

"  Countess  Amelie  de  Laville,  I  summon  you  in  the  name 
of  his  majesty  the  king  to  surrender.  I  have  with  me  an 
ample  force  to  overcome  all  resistance,  but  his  gracious 
majesty  in  his  clemency  has  empowered  me  to  offer  to  all 
within  the  walls  their  lives,  save  only  that  you  and  your  son 
shall  accompany  me  to  Paris,  there  to  be  dealt  with  according 
to  the  law,  under  the  accusation  of  having  taken  up  arms 
against  his  most  sacred  majesty." 

"Methinks,  sir,"  the  countess  said  in  a  loud  clear  voice, 
"  that  it  would  have  been  better  had  you  delayed  until  this 
morning  instead  of  attempting  like  a  band  of  midnight  thieves 
to  break  into  my  chateau.  I  fancy  we  should  have  heard  but 
little  of  his  majesty's  clemency  had  you  succeeded  in  your 
attempt.  I  am  in  arms,  not  against  the  king,  but  against  his 
evil  counsellors,  the  men  who  persuade  him  to  break  his 
pledged  word,  and  to  treat  his  unoffending  subjects  as  if  they 
were  the  worst  of  malefactors.  Assuredly  their  royal  high- 
nesses the  Princes  of  Conde"  and  Navarre  have  no  thought  of 
opposing  his  majesty,  but  desire  above  all  things  that  he 
should  be  able  to  act  without  pressure  from  Lorraine  or  Guise, 

229 


230  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

from  pope  or  King  of  Spain,  and  when  they  lay  down  their 
arms  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  so.  Did  I  know  that  the  king  him- 
self of  his  own  mind  had  sent  you  here  to  summons  me,  I 
would  willingly  accompany  you  to  Paris  to  clear  myself  from 
any  charges  brought  against  me;  but  as  your  base  attempt 
without  summons  or  demand  to  break  into  my  chateau  last 
night  shows  that  you  can  have  no  authority  from  his  majesty 
to  enter  here,  I  refuse  to  open  my  gates,  and  shall  defend 
this  place  until  the  last  against  all  who  may  attack  it." 

The  knights  rode  away.  They  had,  after  the  rough  recep- 
tion on  their  arrival,  perceived  that  the  countess  was  deter- 
mined to  defend  the  chateau,  and  had  only  summoned  her  to 
surrender  as  a  matter  of  form. 

"  I  would  we  had  never  entered  upon  this  expedition,  De 
Brissac.  They  told  us  that  the  house  was  but  poorly  fortified, 
and  we  thought  we  should  assuredly  carry  it  last  night  by  sur- 
prise, and  that  by  taking  this  obstinate  dame  prisoner,  burn- 
ing her  chateau,  and  sweeping  all  the  country  round,  we 
should  give  a  much-needed  lesson  to  the  Huguenots  of  the 
district.  One  could  not  have  expected  to  find  the  place 
crowded  with  men,  and  everyone  ready  with  lighted  matches 
and  drawn  cross-bows  to  receive  us.  I  believe  now  that  that 
fire  we  saw  two  or  three  miles  in  our  rear  as  we  came  along 
was  a  signal ;  but  even  if  it  were,  one  would  not  have  given 
them  credit  for  gathering  so  promptly  to  withstand  us.  As 
for  the  place  itself,  it  is,  as  we  heard,  of  no  great  strength. 
'Tis  but  a  modern  house,  inclosed  on  three  sides  with  a  wall 
some  twenty  feet  high,  and  surrounded  by  a  moat  of  the  same 
width.  With  our  force  we  should  carry  it  in  half  an  hour. 
We  know  that  the  garrison  consists  of  only  fifty  men  besides  a 
score  or  so  of  grooms  and  servants." 

"So  we  heard;  but  I  am  mistaken  if  there  were  not  more 
than  double  that  number  engaged  on  the  wall.  Still,  as  you 
say,  there  will  be  no  great  difficulty  in  carrying  the  place. 
The  ladders  will  be  ready  in  a  couple  of  hours,  and  De  Beau- 
voir  will  bring  in  from  the  farmhouses  plenty  of  planks  and 
beams  for  throwing  bridges  across  the  moat.  It  is  two  hours 
since  he  set  out  with  the  horsemen,  so  as  to  catch  the  Hugue- 
not farmers  asleep." 


THE  ASSAULT   ON  THE   CHATEAU  231 

As  they  returned  to  the  spot  where  the  men  were  engaged 
in  cooking  their  breakfast,  while  some  were  occupied  in  con- 
structing ladders  from  young  trees  that  had  been  felled  for  the 
purpose,  a  gentleman  rode  in. 

"What  is  your  news,  De  Villette?  " 

"The  news  is  bad.  De  Beauvoir  asked  me  to  ride  in  to 
tell  you  that  we  find  the  farmhouses  completely  deserted,  and 
the  whole  of  the  cattle  and  horses  have  disappeared,  as  well 
as  the  inhabitants.  Save  for  some  pigs  and  poultry  we  have 
not  seen  a  living  thing." 

"  Sapristie!  The  Huguenot  dogs  must  have  slept  with  one 
eye  open.  Either  they  heard  „  the  firing  last  night  and  at 
once  made  off,  or  they  must  have  learned  we  were  coming 
and  must  have  gathered  in  the  chateau.  Their  measures  must 
have  been  indeed  well  planned  and  carried  out  for  them  all  to 
have  got  the  alarm  in  time  to  gather  here  before  our  arrival. 
I  hope  that  is  what  they  have  done,  for  we  reckoned  upon 
carrying  off  at  least  a  thousand  head  of  cattle  for  the  use  of 
the  army.  It  was  for  that  as  much  as  to  capture  the  countess 
and  strike  a  blow  at  this  hive  of  Huguenots  that  the  expedi- 
tion was  arranged.  However,  if  they  are  all  in  there  it  will 
save  us  the  trouble  of  driving  them  in." 

"  In  that  case  though,  De  Brissac,  the  fifty  men  will  have 
been  reinforced  by  as  many  more  at  least." 

"  Ay,  maybe  by  a  hundred  and  fifty  with  the  farmers  and  all 
their  hands;  but  what  are  a  hundred  and  fifty  rustics  and  fifty 
men-at-arms  against  our  force?  " 

De  Brissac  had  guessed  pretty  accurately  the  number  of 
fighting  men  that  could  be  mustered  among  the  tenants  of  the 
countess.  The  training  that  they  had  undergone  had,  how- 
ever, made  them  more  formidable  opponents  than  he  sup- 
posed, and  each  man  was  animated  by  hatred  of  their  perse- 
cutors and  a  stern  determination  to  fight  until  the  last  in 
defence  of  their  lives  and  freedom  of  worship.  They  had 
been  mustered  at  the  first  dawn  of  day  in  the  courtyard,  their 
arms  inspected,  and  all  deficiencies  made  up  from  the 
armoury.  Fifty  men  were  placed  under  Philip's  orders  for 
the  defence  of  that  portion  of  the  house  that  rose  directly 
from  the  edge  of  the  moat.  The  lower  windows  were  small 


232  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

and  strongly  barred,  and  there  was  little  fear  of  an  entrance 
being  forced.  The  postern  gate  here  had  during  the  night 
been  strengthened  with  stones,  and  articles  of  heavy  furniture 
piled  against  it.  A  few  men  were  placed  at  the  lower  win- 
dows, the  main  body  on  the  first  floor,  where  the  casements 
were  large,  and  the  rest  distributed  at  the  upper  windows  to 
vex  the  enemy  by  their  fire  as  they  approached. 

Philip  appointed  Eustace  to  take  the  command  of  the  men 
at  the  lower  windows,  and  Roger  of  those  on  the  upper  floor, 
he  with  Jacques  posting  himself  on  the  first  floor,  against 
which  the  enemy  would  attempt  to  fix  their  ladders.  Great 
fires  were  lighted  in  all  the  rooms,  and  cauldrons  of  water 
placed  over  them,  and  boys  with  pails  stood  by  these  in  readi- 
ness to  bring  boiling  water  to  the  windows  when  required. 

The  walls  round  the  courtyard  and  garden  were  not  of  suffi- 
cient thickness  for  fires  to  be  lighted  along  the  narrow  path 
on  which  the  defenders  were  posted,  but  fires  were  lighted  in 
the  courtyard,  and  boiling  water  prepared  there  in  readiness 
to  carry  up  when  the  assault  began.  The  Huguenot  gentle- 
men were  placed  in  command  at  the  various  points  along  the 
wall  most  likely  to  be  assailed. 

Had  the  besiegers  been  provided  with  cannon  the  defence 
could  not  have  lasted  long,  for  the  walls  would  not  have  re- 
sisted battering  by  shot,  but  cannon  in  those  times  were  rare, 
and  were  too  clumsy  and  heavy  to  accompany  an  expedition 
requiring  to  move  with  speed.  For  a  time  the  men-at-arms 
alone  garrisoned  the  wall,  the  farmers  and  their  men  being 
occupied  in  pumping  water  from  the  wells  and  carrying  it  to 
the  cattle,  of  which  some  eight  hundred  had  been  driven  in. 
The  granaries  were  opened,  and  a  plentiful  supply  of  food 
placed  in  large  troughs.  At  ten  o'clock  a  trumpet  called  all 
the  defenders  to  their  posts.  The  enemy  were  drawn  up  in 
order  and  moved  towards  the  house  in  six  columns,  two  tak- 
ing their  way  towards  the  rear  to  attack  the  house  on  that  side, 
while  the  others  advanced  toward  different  points  on  the 
wall. 

Ladders  and  long  planks  were  carried  at  the  head  of  each 
column.  As  they  approached  the  assailants  halted,  and  the 
arquebusiers  came  forward  and  took  their  post  in  line  to  cover 


THE  ASSAULT  ON  THE   CHATEAU  233 

by  their  fire  the  advance  of  the  storming  parties.  As  soon 
as  these  advanced  a  heavy  fire  was  opened  by  the  besieged 
with  cross-bow  and  arquebus.  The  parapet  was  high,  and 
while  they  exposed  only  their  heads  to  fire,  and  were  alto- 
gether sheltered  while  loading,  the  assailants  were  completely 
exposed.  Orders  were  given  that  the  defenders  should  entirely 
disregard  the  fire  of  the  matchlock  men,  and  should  direct 
their  aim  upon  the  storming  parties.  These  suffered  heavily, 
but,  urged  forward  by  their  officers,  they  gained  the  edge  of 
the  moat,  pushed  the  planks  across,  and  placed  the  ladders; 
but  as  fast  as  these  were  put  into  position  they  were  hurled 
down  again  by  the  defenders,  who,  with  long  forked  sticks, 
thrust  them  out  from  the  wall  "and  hurled  them  backwards, 
sometimes  allowing  them  to  remain  until  a  line  of  men  had 
climbed  up,  and  then  pouring  a  pail  of  boiling  water  over  the 
wall  upon  them. 

The  farmers  vied  with  the  men-at-arms  in  the  steadiness  of 
the  defence,  being  furious  at  the  sight  of  columns  of  smoke 
which  rose  in  many  directions,  showing  that  the  cavalry  of  the 
besiegers  were  occupied  in  destroying  their  homesteads. 
Sometimes,  when  four  or  five  ladders  were  planted  together, 
the  assailants  managed  to  climb  up  to  the  level  of  the  para- 
pet, but  only  to  be  thrust  backward  with  pikes,  and  cut  down 
with  swords  and  axes.  For  two  hours  the  assault  continued, 
and  then  De  Brissac,  seeing  how  heavy  was  the  loss,  and  how 
vain  the  efforts  to  scale  the  wall  at  any  point,  ordered  the 
trumpeters  to  sound  the  retreat,  when  the  besiegers  drew  off, 
galled  by  the  fire  of  the  defenders  until  they  were  out  of 
range.  The  attempts  of  the  two  columns  which  had  attacked 
the  house  itself  were  attended  with  no  greater  success  than 
those  of  their  fellows,  their  efforts  to  gain  a  footing  in  any  of 
the  rooms  on  the  first  floor  having  been  defeated  with  heavy 
loss. 

The  leaders  of  the  assailants  held  a  consultation  after  their 
troops  had  drawn  off. 

"It  is  of  no  use,"  De  Brissac  said,  "to  repeat  the  attack 
on  the  walls,  they  are  too  stoutly  defended.  It  is  out  of  the 
question  for  us  to  think  of  returning  to  Poitiers.  We  under- 
took to  capture  the  place,  to  harry  the  farms,  to  destroy  all 


234  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

the  Huguenots,  and  to  return  driving  in  all  the  cattle  for  the 
use  of  the  army.  Of  all  this  we  have  only  so  far  burned  the 
farmhouses,  and  we  have  lost  something  like  a  couple  of  hun- 
dred men.  This  time  we  must  try  by  fire.  The  men  must 
gather  bundles  of  firewood,  and  must  attack  in  three  columns, 
the  principal  against  the  great  gate,  the  others  against  the 
two  posterns,  the  one  at  the  back  of  the  house  itself,  the  other 
nearest  the  angle  where  the  wall  joins  it.  If  we  had  time  to 
construct  machines  for  battering  the  walls  it  would  be  an  easy 
business,  but  that  is  out  of  the  question.  In  a  couple  of  days 
at  the  latest  we  shall  have  them  coming  out  like  a  swarm  of 
hornets  from  La  Rochelle.  It  is  not  likely,  when  they  had  all 
their  measures  so  well  prepared,  that  they  omitted  to  send  off 
word  at  once  to  Coligny,  and  by  to-morrow  at  noon  we  may 
have  Conde  and  the  Admiral  upon  us.  Therefore  we  must 
make  an  end  of  this  by  nightfall.  Have  you  any  better  plans 
to  suggest,  gentlemen?" 

There  was  no  reply.  Several  of  those  present  had  been 
wounded  more  or  less  severely,  and  some  terribly  bruised  by 
being  hurled  back  from  the  ladders  as  they  led  the  troops  to 
the  assault.  Five  or  six  of  the  young  nobles  who  had  joined 
what  they  regarded  as  an  expedition  likely  to  meet  with  but 
slight  resistance  had  been  killed,  and  all  regretted  that  they 
had  embarked  upon  an  affair  that  could  bring  them  but  small 
credit,  while  they  were  unprovided  with  the  necessary  means 
for  attacking  a  place  so  stoutly  defended.  De  Brissac  at  once 
issued  orders,  and  strong  parties  of  soldiers  scattered  and 
proceeded  to  cut  down  fences  and  bushes  and  to  form  large 
faggots.  Their  movements  were  observed  by  the  men  placed 
on  the  summit  of  the  tower,  and  no  doubt  was  entertained  of 
the  intentions  of  the  enemy. 

"What  do  you  think  we  had  better  do,  Philip?"  Francois 
asked  as  they  stood  together  at  the  top  of  the  tower  watching 
the  Catholics  at  work.  "  We  may  shoot  a  number  of  them, 
but  if  they  are  determined  they  will  certainly  be  able  to  lay 
their  faggots,  and  in  that  case  we  shall  be  open  to  attack  at 
three  points,  and  likely  enough  they  will  at  the  same  time 
renew  their  attack  on  the  walls." 

"That  is  the  most  dangerous  part  of  it,"  Philip  said.     "We 


THE  ASSAULT   ON  THE   CHATEAU  235 

ought  to  have  no  difficulty  in  holding  the  three  entrances. 
The  posterns  are  narrow,  and  forty  men  at  each  should  be  able 
to  keep  back  a  host,  and  this  would  leave  you  a  hundred  and 
twenty  to  hold  the  main  gates;  but  if  we  have  to  man  the 
walls  too  the  matter  would  be  serious.  If  we  had  time  we 
might  pull  down  one  of  the  outbuildings  and  build  a  thick 
wall  behind  the  gates,  but  in  an  hour  they  will  be  attacking 
us  again."  He  stood  thinking  for  a  minute  or  two,  and  then 
exclaimed :  "  I  have  it,  Francois.  Let  us  at  once  kill  a  num- 
ber of  the  cattle  and  pile  their  carcasses  up  two  deep  against 
the  gates.  They  may  burn  them  down  if  they  like  then,  but 
they  can  do  nothing  against  that  pile  of  flesh;  the  weight  of 
the  carcasses  will  keep  them  in  a  solid  mass.  At  any  rate,  we 
might  do  that  at  the  two  posterns;  the  great  gates  are  perhaps 
too  wide  and  lofty,  but  if  we  formed  a  barricade  inside  them  of 
say  three  bodies  high  a  hundred  men  ought  to  be  able  to  de- 
fend it,  and  that  will  leave  a  hundred  for  the  walls  and  house." 

"  That  is  a  capital  idea,  Philip.  We  will  not  lose  a  moment 
in  carrying  it  out." 

Two  of  the  principal  tenants  were  called  up  and  told  to  see 
to  the  slaughtering  instantly  of  sufficient  cattle  to  pile  two  deep 
against  the  posterns.  Calling  a  number  of  men  together,  these 
at  once  set  about  the  business. 

"  We  will  see  to  the  other  barricade  ourselves,  Philip.  That 
is  where  the  fighting  will  be." 

The  entrance  behind  the  gateway  was  some  twenty-five  feet 
in  width  and  as  much  in  depth  before  it  entered  the  court- 
yard. The  bullocks  were  brought  up  to  the  spot  and  slaughtered 
there.  The  first  line  were  about  to  be  dragged  into  place 
when  Philip  suggested  that  they  should  be  skinned. 

"What  on  earth  do  you  want  to  skin  them  for,  Philip?" 
Francois  asked. 

"  When  they  are  arranged  in  a  row  I  would  throw  the  skins 
over  them  again,  inside  out.  The  weight  of  the  next  row  will 
keep  the  skins  in  their  places,  and  it  will  be  impossible  for 
anyone  to  obtain  a  footing  on  that  slippery  surface,  especially 
if  we  pour  some  blood  over  it." 

Francois  at  once  saw  the  point  of  the  suggestion.  "  Excel- 
lent, Philip.  I  wish  my  brain  was  as  full  of  ideas  as  yours  is." 


236  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

The  same  course  was  pursued  with  the  other  two  tiers  of 
carcasses,  the  hides  of  the  upper  row  being  firmly  pegged  into 
the  flesh  to  prevent  their  being  pulled  off.  The  breastwork 
was  about  five  feet  high,  and  was  absolutely  unclimbable. 

"It  could  not  be  better,"  Francois  said.  "A  solid  work 
would  not  be  half  so  difficult  to  get  over.  Twenty  men  here 
could  keep  a  host  at  bay." 

Another  tier  of  unskinned  carcasses  was  laid  down  behind 
the  breastwork  for  the  defenders  to  stand  on,  and  earth  was 
piled  over  it  to  afford  a  footing.  They  had  but  just  completed 
their  preparations  when  the  trumpet  from  above  sounded  the 
signal  that  the  enemy  were  approaching.  All  took  the  posts 
that  they  had  before  occupied.  The  enemy  approached  as 
they  had  expected  in  three  bodies,  each  preceded  by  a  detach- 
ment that  carried  in  front  of  them  great  faggots  which  served 
as  a  protection  against  the  missiles  of  the  besieged.  Among 
them  were  men  carrying  sacks. 

"What  can  they  have  there?"  Philip  asked  one  of  the 
Huguenot  gentlemen. 

"I  should  say  it  was  earth,"  he  replied. 

"  Earth !  "  Philip  repeated,  puzzled.  "  What  can  they  want 
that  for?" 

"I  should  think  it  is  to  cover  the  planks  thickly  before  they 
lay  down  the  faggots,  otherwise  the  planks  would  burn  and 
perhaps  fall  bodily  in  the  water  before  the  fire  had  done  its 
work  on  the  doors." 

"No  doubt  that  is  it,"  Philip  agreed.  "I  did  not  think  of 
that  before." 

As  soon  as  the  heads  of  the  columns  approached  within  a 
hundred  yards  the  men  with  arquebuses  opened  fire,  and  those 
with  cross-bows  speedily  followed  suit.  Four  hundred  men 
with  arquebuses  at  once  ran  forward  until  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  the  moat,  and  opened  so  heavy  a  fire  against  the 
defenders  of  the  wall  and  house  that  these  were  compelled  to 
stoop  down  under  shelter.  Some  of  them  would  have  still 
gone  on  firing  from  the  windows,  but  Philip  ordered  them  to 
draw  back.' 

"It  is  of  no  use  throwing  away  life,"  he  said.  "We  cannot 
hope  to  prevent  them  planting  their  faggots  and  firing  them." 


THE  ASSAULT  ON  THE   CHATEAU  237 

He  himself  went  up  into  a  small  turret  partly  overhanging 
the  wall,  and  through  a  loophole  watched  the  men  at  work. 
The  contents  of  the  sacks  were  emptied  out  upon  the  planks, 
the  latter  having  been  first  soaked  with  water  drawn  from  the 
moat  by  a  pail  one  of  the  men  carried.  The  earth  was  levelled 
a  foot  deep,  and  then  a  score  of  buckets  of  water  emptied  over 
it.  Then  the  faggots  were  piled  against  the  door.  A  torch 
was  applied  to  them ;  and  as  soon  as  this  was  done  the  assail- 
ants fell  back,  the  defenders  plying  them  with  shot  and  cross- 
bolts  as  soon  as  they  did  so. 

Philip  now  paid  a  hasty  visit  to  the  walls.  Here  the  assail- 
ants had  suffered  heavily  before  they  had  planted  their  faggots, 
the  defenders  being  better  able  to  return  their  fire  than  were 
those  at  the  windows.  In  both  cases,  however,  they  had 
succeeded  in  laying  and  firing  the  faggots,  although  much 
hindered  at  the  work  by  pails  of  boiling  water  emptied  upon 
them.  Some  ten  of  the  defenders  had  been  shot  through  the 
head  as  they  stood  up  to  fire.  Attempts  were  made,  by  pour- 
ing water  down  upon  the  faggots,  to  extinguish  the  flames,  but 
the  time  taken  in  conveying  the  water  up  from  the  courtyard 
enabled  the  fire  to  get  such  hold  that  the  attempt  was 
abandoned. 

"  It  is  just  as  well, "  Frangois  said.  "  If  we  could  extinguish 
the  fire  we  should  lose  the  benefit  of  the  surprise  we  have 
prepared  for  them." 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  light  flames  began  to  flicker  up  at 
the  edges  of  the  great  gates. 

"Do  you  stay  here  with  me,  Philip,"  Francois  said.  "Our 
own  band  will  take  post  here;  they  are  more  accustomed  to 
hand-to-hand  fighting.  The  tenants  will  guard  the  wall. 
Montpace  will  be  in  command  there.  Beg  De  Riblemont  to 
take  command  at  the  back  of  the  house.  Tell  him  to  send  for 
aid  to  us  if  he  is  pressed.  I  would  put  your  own  three  men 
down  at  the  postern  there.  I  feel  sure  they  can  never  move 
that  double  row  of  bullocks;  but  it  is  as  well  to  make  certain, 
and  those  three  could  hold  the  narrow  postern  till  help  reaches 
them.  Place  a  boy  with  them  to  send  off  for  aid  if  necessary. 
Bourdou  is  stationed  behind  the  other  postern  with  three  men. 
It  will  be  half  an  hour  before  the  gates  are  down  yet." 


238 

The  two  together  made  a  tour  of  the  defences.  All  was  in 
readiness.  The  men  after  their  first  success  felt  confident  that 
they  should  beat  off  their  assailants;  and  even  the  women, 
gathered  round  the  great  fires  in  the  house  and  courtyard, 
with  pails  in  readiness  to  carry  boiling  water  to  the  threatened 
points,  showed  no  signs  of  anxiety,  the  younger  ones  laughing 
and  chatting  together  as  if  engaged  in  ordinary  work.  The 
countess  went  round  with  her  maids  carrying  flagons  and  cups, 
and  gave  a  draught  of  wine  to  each  of  the  defenders.  The 
minister  accompanied  her.  As  yet  there  were  no  wounded 
needing  their  care,  for  all  who  had  been  hit  had  been  struck 
in  the  head,  and  death  had  in  each  case  been  instantaneous. 

At  last  the  great  gates  fell  with  a  crash,  and  a  shout  of  exul- 
tation arose  from  the  Catholics,  answered  by  the  Huguenots  on 
the  wall  by  one  of  defiance.  In  half  an  hour  the  assailants 
again  formed  up.  The  strongest  column  advanced  towards 
the  great  gate,  others  against  the  posterns;  and  four  separate 
bodies,  with  planks  and  ladders,  moved  forward  to  bridge  the 
moat  and  to  attack  at  other  points.  The  defenders  on  the 
walls  and  at  the  windows  were  soon  at  work,  and  the  assailants 
suffered  heavily  from  the  fire  as  they  advanced.  The  fifty 
men-at-arms  behind  the  barricade  remained  quiet  and  silent, 
a  dozen  of  them  with  arquebuses  lining  the  barricade.  With 
loud  shouts  the  Catholics  came  on,  deeming  the  chateau  as 
good  as  won.  The  arquebusiers  poured  their  fire  into  them 
as  they  crossed  the  moat,  and  then  fell  back  behind  their 
comrades,  who  were  armed  with  pike  and  sword.  As  they 
passed  through  the  still  smoking  gateway  the  assailants  saw 
the  barricade  in  front  of  them,  but  this  did  not  appear  for- 
midable, and,  led  by  a  number  of  gentlemen  in  complete 
armour,  they  rushed  forward. 

For  a  moment  those  in  front  recoiled  as  they  reached  the 
wall  of  slippery  hides;  then,  pressed  forward  from  behind, 
they  made  desperate  attempts  to  climb  it.  It  would  have 
been  as  easy  to  try  to  mount  a  wall  of  ice;  their  hands  and 
feet  alike  failed  to  obtain  a  hold,  and  from  above  the  defenders 
with  pike  and  sword  thrust  and  cut  at  them;  while  the  arque- 
busiers, as  fast  as  possible,  discharged  their  pieces  into  the 
crowd,  loaded  each  time  with  three  or  four  balls. 


THE   ASSAULT   ON   THE   CHATEAU  239 

For  half  an  hour  the  efforts  to  force  the  barricade  continued. 
So  many  had  fallen  that  the  wall  was  now  no  higher  than  their 
waist,  but  even  this  could  not  be  surmounted  in  face  of  the 
double  line  of  pikemen;  and  at  last  the  assailants  fell  back, 
baffled.  At  the  two  posterns  they  had  failed  to  make  any 
impression  upon  the  carcasses  that  blocked  their  way.  In 
vain  they  strove,  by  striking  the  curved  points  of  their  halberts 
into  the  carcasses,  to  drag  them  from  their  place;  but  the 
pressure  of  the  weight  above,  and  of  the  interior  line  of  car- 
casses that  were  piled  on  the  legs  of  the  outside  tiers,  prevented 
the  enemy  from  moving  them  in  the  slightest  degree.  While 
so  engaged,  those  at  work  were  £xposed  to  the  boiling  water 
poured  from  above,  and  the  soldiers  standing  behind  in  readi- 
ness to  advance  when  the  entrance  was  won  were  also  exposed 
to  the  fire  of  the  defenders. 

The  assaults  on  the  walls  and  at  the  windows  were  far  less 
obstinate  than  those  in  the  previous  attack,  as  they  were 
intended  only  as  diversions  to  the  main  assaults  on  the  pos- 
terns and  gate;  and  when  the  assailants  at  these  points  fell 
back,  the  storming  parties  also  retreated.  They  had  lost  in 
all  nearly  four  hundred  men  in  the  second  attack,  of  whom 
more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  had  fallen  in  the  assault  upon 
the  barricade.  The  instant  they  retreated  Frangois  and  Philip 
led  out  their  men,  cleared  the  earth  from  the  planks,  and  threw 
these  into  the  water.  They  were  not  a  moment  too  soon,  for 
just  as  they  completed  their  task  the  Catholic  cavalry  thundered 
down  to  the  edge  of  the  moat,  regardless  of  the  fire  from  the 
walls,  which  emptied  many  saddles.  Finding  themselves 
unable  to  cross,  they  turned  and  galloped  off  after  the 
infantry. 

"We  were  just  in  time,  Philip,"  Francois  said.  "If  they 
had  crossed  the  moat  it  would  have  gone  hard  with  us,  for, 
with  that  bank  of  bodies  lying  against  the  breastwork,  they 
might  have  been  able  to  leap  it.  At  any  rate,  their  long  lances 
would  have  driven  us  back,  and  some  would  have  dismounted 
and  climbed  over.  As  it  is,  I  think  we  have  done  with  them. 
After  two  such  repulses  as  they  have  had,  and  losing  pretty 
nearly  half  their  infantry,  they  will  never  get  the  men  to  try 
another  attack." 


240  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

An  hour  later,  indeed,  the  whole  Catholic  force,  horse  and 
foot,  were  seen  to  march  away  by  the  road  along  which  they 
had  come.  As  soon  as  they  did  so  a  trumpet  summoned  the 
defenders  from  the  walls  and  house;  the  women  and  children 
also  poured  out  into  the  courtyard;  and  the  minister  taking 
his  place  by  the  side  of  the  countess  on  the  steps  of  the 
chateau,  a  solemn  service  of  thanksgiving  to  God,  for  their 
preservation  from  the  danger  that  had  threatened  them,  was 
held.  It  was  now  five  o'clock  and  the  short  winter  day  was 
nearly  over.  Many  of  the  tenants  would  have  started  off  to 
their  farms,  but  Frangois  begged  them  to  remain  until  next 
morning. 

"The  smoke  told  you  what  to  expect,"  he  said.  "You  will 
find  nothing  but  the  ruins  of  your  houses,  and  in  this  weather 
it  would  be  madness  to  take  your  wives  and  families  out.  In 
the  morning  you  can  go  and  view  your  homes.  If  there  are 
still  any  sheds  standing  that  you  can  turn  into  houses  for  the 
time,  you  can  come  back  for  your  wives  and  families;  if  not, 
they  must  remain  here  till  you  can  get  up  shelter  for  them. 
In  this  bitter  cold  weather  you  could  not  think  of  rebuilding 
your  houses  regularly,  nor  would  it  be  any  use  to  do  so  until 
we  get  to  the  end  of  these  troubles.  But  you  can  fell  and  saw 
wood,  and  erect  cottages  that  will  suffice  for  present  use  and 
serve  as  sheds  when  better  times  return.  The  first  thing  to  do 
is  to  attend  to  those  who  have  fallen.  The  dead  must  be 
removed  and  buried,  but  there  must  be  many  wounded,  and 
these  must  be  brought  in  and  attended  to.  There  is  an  empty 
granary  that  we  will  convert  into  a  hospital." 

"Before  we  do  anything  else,  Francois,  we  must  fish  the 
planks  from  the  moat,  to  serve  until  a  fresh  drawbridge  is 
constructed.  Eustace,  do  you  get  two  heavy  beams  thrust  over 
and  lay  the  planks  across  them;  then  with  Roger,  mount,  cross 
the  moat  as  soon  as  it  is  bridged,  and  follow  the  road  after 
the  Catholics.  They  may  not  have  gone  far,  and  might  halt 
and  return  to  attack  us  when  we  shall  be  off  our  guard.  Fol- 
low them  about  five  miles;  then,  if  they  are  still  marching, 
you  had  both  better  come  back  to  us.  If  they  halt  before  that, 
do  you  remain  and  watch  them,  and  send  Roger  back  with  the 


THE   ASSAULT   ON   THE   CHATEAU  241 

A  hundred  and  thirty  wounded  men  were  brought  in,  some 
wounded  by  shot  or  crossbow  bolt,  some  terribly  scalded, 
others  with  broken  limbs  from  being  hurled  backwards  with 
the  ladders.  The  countess  with  her  maids  and  many  of  the 
women  attended  to  them  as  they  were  brought  in,  and  applied 
salves  and  bandages  to  the  wounds.  Among  the  mass  that  had 
fallen  inside  the  gate  seven  gentlemen  who  still  lived  were 
discovered.  These  were  brought  into  the  chateau  and  placed 
in  a  room  together.  The  task  was  carried  on  by  torch-light 
and  occupied  some  hours.  Towards  midnight  the  trampling 
of  a  large  body  of  horse  was  heard.  Arms  were  hastily 
snatched  up  and  steel  caps  thrust  on,  and  pike  in  hand  they 
thronged  to  defend  the  entrance.  "  Francois  ran  to  the  battle- 
ments. 

"Who  comes  there?"  he  shouted.  "Halt  and  declare 
yourselves  or  we  fire." 

The  horsemen  halted,  and  a  voice  cried,  "Is  that  you, 
Francois?  " 

"Yes,  it  is  I,  De  la  Noiie,"  Francois  shouted  back  joyously. 

"Is  all  well?  Where  are  the  enemy?"  was  asked  in  the 
Admiral's  well-known  voice. 

"All  is  well,  sir;  they  retreated  just  before  nightfall,  leaving 
seven  hundred  of  their  infantry  wounded  or  dead  behind 
them." 

A  shout  of  satisfaction  rose  from  the  horsemen. 

"Take  torches  across  the  bridge,"  Francois  ordered;  "it  is 
the  Admiral  come  to  our  rescue." 

A  minute  later  the  head  of  the  column  crossed  the  temporary 
bridge.  Francois  had  run  down  and  received  them  in  the 
gateway. 

"What  is  this?  "  the  Admiral  asked;  "have  they  burnt  your 
drawbridge  and  gate?  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  How  was  it,  then,  they  did  not  succeed  in  capturing  the 
place?  Ah,  I  see,  you  formed  a  barricade  here."  Two  or 
three  of  the  carcasses  had  been  dragged  aside  to  permit  the 
men  carrying  the  wounded  to  enter. 

"Why,  what  is  it,  Francois — skins  of  freshly-slain  oxen?" 

"Yes,  sir,  and  the  barricade  is  formed  of  their  bodies.     We 


242  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

had  neither  time  nor  materials  at  hand,  and  my  cousin  sug- 
gested bringing  the  oxen  up  and  slaughtering  them  here.  In 
that  way  we  soon  made  a  barricade.  But  we  should  have  had 
hard  work  in  holding  it  against  such  numbers  had  he  not  also 
suggested  our  skinning  them  and  letting  the  hides  hang  as 
you  see  with  the  raw  sides  outwards.  Then  we  smeared  them 
thickly  with  blood,  and  though  the  Catholics  strove  their 
hardest  not  one  of  them  managed  to  get  a  footing  on  the  top." 

"A  rare  thought  indeed,"  the  Admiral  said  warmly.  "De 
la  Noiie,  these  cousins  of  yours  are  truly  apt  scholars  in  war; 
the  oldest  soldier  could  not  have  thought  of  a  better  device. 
And  you  say  you  killed  seven  hundred  of  them,  Laville?" 

"  That  is  the  number,  sir,  counting  in  a  hundred  and  thirty 
wounded  who  are  now  lying  in  a  granary  here." 

"They  must  have  fought  stoutly.  But  what  was  your 
strength?" 

"  We  had  fifty  men-at-arms,  sir,  five  or  six  Huguenot  gentle- 
men with  their  retainers,  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  men  from 
our  own  estate,  all  of  whom  fought  as  doughtily  as  old  soldiers 
could  have  done.  The  enemy  thought  to  take  us  by  surprise 
yesterday  evening,  but  we  were  ready  for  them,  and  our  dis- 
charge killed  over  fifty.  Then  they  drew  off  and  left  us  until 
this  morning.  They  made  two  great  attacks,  the  first  by 
throwing  planks  across  the  moat  and  placing  ladders  at  three 
places,  the  second  by  trying  again  to  storm  with  ladders,  while 
other  bands  tried  to  force  their  way  in  at  this  gateway  and  at 
the  two  posterns.  Of  course  they  have  burned  all  the  farms 
to  the  ground,  but  the  cattle  were  all  safely  driven  in  here 
before  they  arrived.  Now,  if  you  will  enter,  sir,  we  will 
endeavour  to  provide  for  your  wants.  No  one  is  yet  in  bed, 
we  have  been  too  busy  carrying  out  the  dead  and  collecting 
the  wounded  to  think  of  sleep." 

The  countess  was  at  the  steps  of  the  chateau  to  receive  the 
Admiral  as  he  dismounted. 

"  Accept  my  heartiest  thanks  for  the  speed  with  which  you 
have  come  to  our  aid,  Admiral,  we  did  not  expect  you  before 
to-morrow  morning  at  the  earliest." 

"It  has  been  a  long  ride  truly,"  the  Admiral  said.  "Your 
messenger  arrived  at  daybreak,  having  walked  the  last  five 


THE  ASSAULT  ON   THE   CHATEAU  243 

miles,  for  his  horse  had  foundered.  I  flew  to  horse  the 
moment  I  received  the  news,  and  with  four  hundred  horse- 
men, for  the  most  part  Huguenot  gentlemen,  we  started  at 
once.  We  halted  for  three  hours  in  the  middle  of  the  day  to 
rest  our  horses,  and  again  for  an  hour  just  after  nightfall. 
We  feared  that  we  should  find  your  chateau  in  flames,  for 
although  your  messenger  said  that  your  son  thought  you  could 
hold  out  against  all  attacks  for  two  days,  It  seemed  to  us  that 
so  strong  a  force  as  was  beleaguering  you  would  carry  the 
place  by  storm  in  a  few  hours.  I  have  to  congratulate  you 
on  the  gallant  defence  that  you  have  made." 

"I  have  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,"  the  countess  replied; 
"  but,  indeed,  all  have  fought  well.  Now,  if  you  will  follow 
me  in  I  will  do  my  best  to  entertain  you  and  the  brave  gen- 
tlemen who  have  ridden  so  far  to  my  rescue,  but  I  fear  the 
accommodation  will  be  of  the  roughest." 

The  horses  were  ranged  in  rows  in  the  courtyard,  haltered 
to  ropes  stretched  across  it,  and  an  ample  supply  of  food  was 
given  to  each;  some  of  the  oxen  that  had  done  such  good 
service  were  cut  up  and  were  soon  roasting  over  great  fires; 
while  the  women  spread  straw  thickly  in  the  largest  apart- 
ments for  the  new-comers  to  sleep  on. 

"Where  are  the  Catholics?"  the  Admiral  asked. 

"They  have  halted  at  a  village  some  seven  miles  away," 
Francois  said.  "We  sent  two  mounted  men  after  them  to 
make  sure  that  they  had  gone  well  away  and  did  not  intend  to 
try  to  take  us  by  surprise  in  the  night.  They  returned  some 
hours  since  with  the  news." 

"What  do  you  say,  De  la  Noiie,"  the  Admiral  exclaimed, 
"shall  we  beat  them  up  to-night?  They  will  not  be  expect- 
ing us,  and  after  their  march  here  and  their  day's  fighting 
they  will  sleep  soundly." 

"I  should  like  nothing  better,  Admiral;  but  in  truth  I 
doubt  whether  our  horses  could  carry  us,  they  have  already 
made  a  twenty-league  journey." 

"We  have  at  least  two  hundred  horses  here,  Admiral," 
Francois  said;  "we  have  those  of  my  own  troop  and  fully  a 
hundred  and  fifty  that  were  driven  in  by  the  tenants.  My  own 
troop  will  of  course  be  ready  to  go,  and  you  could  shift  your 


244  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

saddles  on  to  the  other  horses.  There  is  not  one  of  our  men 
who  would  not  gladly  march  with  you,  for  although  we  have 
beaten  the  Catholics  well  the  tenants  do  not  forget  that  they 
are  homeless,  and  will,  I  am  sure,  gladly  follow  up  the  blow." 

"Then  so  it  shall  be,"  the  Admiral  said;  "a  hundred  and 
fifty  of  the  gentlemen  who  came  with  me  shall  ride  with  your 
troop,  the  rest  of  us  will  march  with  your  tenants.  I  think 
we  are  capable  of  doing  that  even  after  our  ride,  gentle- 
men?" 

There  was  a  chorus  of  assent  from  those  standing  round, 
and  De  la  Noiie  added,  "After  supper,  Admiral?" 

"Certainly  after  supper,"  Coligny  assented  with  a  smile. 
"Another  hour  will  make  no  difference.  You  may  be  sure 
they  will  not  be  moving  before  daylight.  If  we  start  from 
here  at  three,  we  shall  be  in  ample  time." 

Philip  at  once  went  out  and  ordered  the  attendants  and 
men-at-arms  to  lie  down  for  two  hours,  as  the  Admiral  was 
going  to  lead  them  to  attack  the  Catholics  at  their  halting- 
place,  news  which  was  received  with  grim  satisfaction.  In 
the  meantime  Francois  gave  a  detailed  account  of  the  events 
of  the  siege,  and  the  Admiral  insisted  upon  going  at  once  to 
inspect  by  torchlight  the  novel  manner  in  which  the  two  pos- 
terns had  been  blocked  up. 

"Nothing  could  have  been  better,  De  Laville,"  he  said. 
"Your  English  cousin  is  indeed  full  of  resources.  Better 
material  than  this  for  blocking  up  a  narrow  gateway  could 
hardly  be  contrived.  Fire,  as  it  was  proved,  was  of  no  avail 
against  it,  for  it  would  be  impossible  to  dislodge  the  carcasses 
by  main  force,  and  even  if  they  had  cannon,  the  balls  would 
not  have  penetrated  this  thickness  of  flesh,  which  must  have 
been  torn  to  pieces  before  it  yielded.  The  idea  of  covering 
the  carcasses  at  the  gates  with  their  own  raw  hides  was  an 
equally  happy  one.  Upon  my  word,  De  la  Nolle,  I  do  not 
think  that  if  you  or  I  had  been  in  command  here  we  could 
have  done  better  than  these  two  young  fellows." 

At  three  o'clock  all  was  ready  for  a  start.  De  la  Noiie  took 
the  command  of  the  two  hundred  horsemen.  The  Admiral 
declined  to  ride,  and  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  col- 
umn of  infantry,  which  was  three  hundred  strong,  thirty  of 


THE  ASSAULT  ON  THE   CHATEAU  245 

the  original  defenders  having  been  either  killed  or  disabled, 
and  twenty  being  left  as  a  guard  at  the  chateau. 

The  surprise  of  the  Catholics  was  complete.  Three  hun- 
dred were  killed,  two  hundred,  including  their  commander, 
De  Brissac,  and  thirty  other  gentlemen,  were  made  prisoners, 
the  remaining  six  hundred  escaped  in  the  darkness,  their 
arms,  armour,  and  the  whole  of  the  horses  falling  into  the 
hands  of  the  victors,  who  halted  at  the  village  until  morning. 

"Well,  De  Brissac,"  the  Count  de  la  Noiie  said  as  they 
started  on  their  return,  *  the  times  have  changed  since  you 
and  I  fought  under  your  father  in  Italy,  and  we  little  thought 
then  that  some  day  we  should  be,  fighting  on  opposite  sides." 

"Still  less  that  I  should  be  your  prisoner,  De  la  Noiie,"  the 
other  laughed.  "  Well,  we  have  made  a  nice  business  of  this. 
We  thought  to  surprise  De  Laville's  chateau  without  having 
to  strike  a  blow,  and  that  we  were  going  to  return  to  Poitiers 
with  at  least  a  thousand  head  of  cattle.  We  were  horribly 
beaten  at  the  chateau,  have  now  been  surprised  ourselves,  and 
you  are  carrying  off  our  horses,  to  say  nothing  of  ourselves. 
We  marched  out  with  eighteen  hundred  men  horse  and  foot, 
and  I  don't  think  more  than  five  or  six  hundred  at  the  out- 
side have  got  away  and  that  in  the  scantiest  apparel.  Anjou 
will  be  furious  when  he  hears  the  news.  When  I  am  ex- 
changed I  expect  I  shall  be  ordered  to  my  estates.  Had  De 
Laville  some  older  heads  to  assist  him?  " 

"  No,  he  and  that  young  cousin  of  his  riding  next  to  him 
acted  entirely  by  themselves,  and  the  cousin,  who  is  ar  Eng- 
lish lad,  is  the  one  who  invented  that  barricade  of  bullocks 
that  stopped  you." 

"That  was  a  rare  device,"  De  Brissac  said.  "I  fought  my 
way  to  it  once,  but  there  was  no  possibility  of  climbing  it. 
It  is  rather  mortifying  to  my  pride  to  have  been  so  completely 
beaten  by  the  device  of  a  lad  like  that.  He  ought  to  make 
a  great  soldier  some  day,  De  la  Noiie." 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE   BATTLE   OF  JARNAC 

WHILE  the  two  armies  were  lying  inactive  through  the 
winter  the  agents  of  both  were  endeavouring  to  interest 
other  European  powers  in  the  struggle.  The  pope  and  Philip 
of  Spain  assisted  the  Guises,  while  the  Due  de  Deux-Ponts 
was  preparing  to  lead  an  army  to  the  assistance  of  the  Hugue- 
nots from  the  Protestant  states  of  Germany.  The  Cardinal 
Chatillon  was  in  England  eloquently  supporting  the  letters  of 
the  Queen  of  Navarre  to  Elizabeth,  asking  for  aid  and  muni- 
tions of  war,  men,  and  money — the  latter  being  required 
especially  to  fulfil  the  engagements  made  with  the  German 
mercenaries.  Elizabeth  listened  favourably  to  these  requests, 
while  with  her  usual  duplicity  she  gave  the  most  solemn  assur- 
ances to  the  court  of  France  that,  so  far  from  assisting  the 
Huguenots,  she  held  in  horror  those  who  raised  the  standard 
of  rebellion  against  their  sovereigns.  She  lent,  however, 
^7000  to  the  King  of  Navarre,  taking  ample  security  in  the 
way  of  jewels  for  the  sum,  and  ordered  Admiral  Winter  to 
embark  six  cannons,  three  hundred  barrels  of  powder,  and 
four  thousand  balls,  and  carry  them  to  La  Rochelle. 

The  admiral,  well  aware  of  the  crooked  policy  of  the  queen 
and  her  readiness  to  sacrifice  any  of  her  subjects  in  order  to 
justify  herself,  absolutely  refused  to  sail  until  he  received  an 
order  signed  by  the  queen  herself.  His  caution  was  justified, 
for  upon  the  French  ambassador  remonstrating  with  her  upon 
supplying  the  king's  enemies,  she  declared  that  the  assistance 
was  wholly  involuntary,  for  that  Admiral  Winter  had  entered 

246 


THE   BATTLE   OF  JARNAC  247 

the  port  of  La  Rochelle  simply  to  purchase  wine  and  other 
merchandise  for  some  ships  that  he  was  convoying.  The 
governor,  however,  had  urged  him  so  strongly  to  sell  to  him 
some  guns  and  ammunition,  that  he,  seeing  that  his  ships 
were  commanded  by  the  guns  of  the  forts,  felt  himself  obliged 
to  comply  with  the  request. 

The  court  of  France  professed  to  be  satisfied  with  this  state- 
ment, although  perfectly  aware  of  its  absolute  untruth,  but  they 
did  not  wish  while  engaged  in  the  struggle  with  the  Huguenots 
to  be  involved  in  open  war  with  England.  As  soon  as  spring 
commenced  both  armies  again  prepared  to  take  the  field. 
The  position  of  the  Huguenots  was  by  no  means  so  strong  as 
it  had  been  when  winter  set  in.  "  Considerable  numbers  had 
died  from  disease,  while  large  bodies  had  returned  to  their 
homes,  the  nobles  and  citizens  being  alike  unable  to  continue 
any  longer  in  the  field  owing  to  the  exhaustion  of  their 
resources. 

Upon  the  other  hand,  although  the  army  of  Anjou  had  suf- 
fered equally  from  disease  it  had  not  been  diminished  by 
desertion,  as  the  troops  were  paid  out  of  the  royal  treasury. 
Two  thousand  two  hundred  German  horsemen,  a  portion  of 
the  large  force  sent  by  the  Catholic  princes  of  Germany,  had 
joined  him,  and  the  Count  de  Tende  had  brought  3000  sol- 
diers from  the  south  of  France.  Other  nobles  came  in  as  the 
winter  broke  with  bodies  of  their  retainers.  The  southern 
Huguenot  leaders,  known  as  the  Viscounts,  remained  in  Guy- 
enne  to  protect  the  Protestant  districts.  The  plan  of  Cond6 
and  the  Admiral  was  to  effect  a  junction  with  them,  and  then 
to  march  and  meet  the  army  of  the  Due  de  Deux-Ponts. 
They  therefore  left  Niort,  which  had  for  some  time  been  their 
headquarters,  and  marched  south  towards  Cognac,  while  the 
Due  d' Anjou  moved  in  the  same  direction. 

Both  armies  reached  the  river  Charente  at  the  same  time 
but  upon  opposite  sides.  The  Royalists  seized  the  town  of 
Chateau  Neuf,  half-way  between  Jarnac  and  Cognac,  and  set 
to  work  to  repair  the  bridge  which  had  been  broken  down  by 
the  Huguenots.  Their  main  army  marched  down  to  Cognac 
and  made  a  pretence  of  attacking  the  town.  The  Huguenots 
were  spread  over  a  long  line,  and  the  Admiral,  seeing  the 


248  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

danger  of  being  attacked  while  so  scattered,  sent  to  Conde", 
who  commanded  the  most  advanced  part  of  the  army  opposite 
Chateau  Neuf,  begging  him  to  retire.  Conde",  however,  with 
his  usual  rashness  declined  to  fall  back,  exclaiming  that  a 
Bourbon  never  fled  from  a  foe. 

The  troop  of  Francois  de  Laville  was  with  a  large  body  of 
horse  commanded  by  the  the  Count  de  la  Noiie.  Life  had 
passed  quietly  at  the  chateau  after  the  repulse  of  the  attack, 
for  the  occupation  of  Niort  by  a  large  force  under  the  Admiral 
secured  Laville  from  any  risk  of  a  repetition  of  the  attack. 
The  garrison  and  the  whole  of  the  tenantry,  after  they  had 
erected  huts  for  their  families,  devoted  themselves  to  the 
work  of  strengthening  the  defences.  Flanking  towers  were 
erected  at  the  angles  of  the  walls.  The  moat  was  doubled  in 
width,  and  a  work  erected  beyond  it  to  guard  the  approach 
across  the  drawbridge.  The  windows  on  the  unprotected  side 
were  all  partially  closed  with  brickwork,  leaving  only  loop- 
holes through  which  the  defenders  could  fire.  The  battle- 
ments of  the  wall  were  raised  two  feet  and  pierced  with  loop- 
holes, so  that  the  defenders  would  no  longer  be  obliged  to 
raise  their  heads  above  its  shelter  to  fire,  and  the  narrow  path 
was  widened  by  the  erection  of  a  platform,  so  as  to  give  more 
room  for  the  men  to  use  their  weapons.  A  garrison  composed 
of  fifty  of  the  younger  men  on  the  farms  took  the  place  of  the 
troop  when  it  rode  away. 

Anjou  had  prepared  several  bridges,  and  suddenly  crossed 
the  river  on  the  night  of  the  i2th  of  March,  the  movement 
being  so  well  managed  that  even  the  Huguenot  divisions  in 
the  neighbourhood  were  unaware  until  morning  of  what  was 
taking  place.  As  soon  as  the  Admiral  was  informed  that  the 
enemy  had  crossed  in  great  force,  messengers  were  sent  off  in 
all  directions  to  order  the  scattered  divisions  to  concentrate. 
The  operation  was  a  slow  one.  Discipline  was  lax,  and  many 
of  the  commanders  instead  of  occupying  the  positions  assigned 
to  them  had  taken  up  others  where  better  accommodation  could 
be  obtained,  and  much  time  was  lost  before  the  orders  reached 
them.  Even  then  their  movements  were  slow,  and  it  was 
afternoon  before  those  in  the  neighbourhood  were  assembled, 
and  the  Admiral  prepared  to  fall  back  towards  the  main  body 


THE   BATTLE   OF  JARNAC  249 

of  the  army  which  lay  near  the  position  occupied  by  Conde*. 
But  before  this  could  be  done  the  whole  Royalist  army  were 
upon  him.  He  had  taken  part  at  Bassac,  a  little  village  with 
an  abbey,  with  but  De  la  Noiie's  cavalry  and  a  small  number 
of  infantry  with  him,  and  though  the  latter  fought  desperately 
they  could  not  check  the  advance  of  the  enemy. 

"This  is  worse  than  St.  Denis,  Francois,"  De  la  Noiie  said, 
as  he  prepared  to  charge  a  vastly  superior  body  of  the  enemy's 
cavalry  advancing  against  the  village.  "  However,  it  must  be 
done,  for  unless  Anjou's  advance  is  checked  the  battle  will  be 
lost  before  Conde"  can  arrive.  You  and  your  cousin  had  best 
put  yourself  at  the  head  of  your  own  troop." 

On  reaching  his  men  Francois  gave  the  order.  "  Now,  my 
men,  is  the  time  to  show  that  you  have  profited  by  your  drill. 
Keep  in  a  solid  body.  Do  not  break  up  and  engage  in  single 
conflicts,  for  if  you  do  we  must  be  overpowered  by  numbers. 
Ride  boot  to  boot.  Keep  your  eyes  fixed  on  our  plumes,  and 
when  we  turn  do  you  turn  also  and  follow  us  closely." 

When  De  la  Noiie's  trumpet  sounded  the  charge,  the  band 
of  horsemen  burst  down  upon  the  Catholic  cavalry,  broke 
their  ranks  and  pierced  far  into  them.  Francois  and  Philip 
were  but  a  horse's  length  ahead  of  their  men,  and  the  pres- 
sure of  the  enemy  soon  drove  them  back  into  their  ranks. 
Keeping  in  a  close  and  compact  body  they  fought  their  way 
on  until  Francois  perceived  that  they  were  separated  from  the 
rest  of  the  force.  Then  he  put  the  horn  that  he  wore  slung 
over  his  shoulder  to  his  lips  and  gave  the  command  to  wheel 
round.  It  was  obeyed,  and  the  line,  which  was  four  deep, 
fought  their  way  round  until  facing  the  rear,  and  then  putting 
spurs  to  their  horses  they  overthrew  all  opposition  and  cleft 
their  way  out  through  the  enemy,  and  then  galloped  back  to 
Bassac.  The  village  was  lost,  and  the  defenders  were  falling 
back  in  disorder  upon  D'Andelot,  who  with  his  division  was 
just  arriving  to  their  assistance. 

For  a  moment  the  fugitive  horse  and  foot  broke  up  his 
ranks.  But  he  rallied  his  men,  and  advancing,  drove  the 
Catholics  out  of  the  village  and  retook  the  abbey.  But  as  a 
whole  army  was  opposed  to  him  the  success  was  but  brief. 
After  a  desperate  struggle  the  village  was  again  lost,  and  the 


250  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Huguenots  fell  back,  contesting  every  foot  of  the  ground,  along 
a  raised  causeway.  The  enemy  were,  however,  fast  outflank- 
ing them,  and  they  were  on  the  point  of  destruction  when 
Conde"  arrived  with  three  hundred  knights  with  whom  he  had 
ridden  forward,  leaving  the  infantry  to  follow,  as  soon  as 
Coligny's  message  for  help  had  reached  him.  He  himself 
was  in  no  condition  for  battle.  His  arm  had  been  broken  by 
a  cannon  shot,  and  just  as  he  reached  the  scene  of  battle  his 
hip  was  fractured  by  the  kick  of  a  horse  ridden  by  his  brother- 
in-law,  La  Rochefoucault;  nevertheless  he  did  not  hesitate, 
but  calling  on  his  little  band  to  follow  him,  rode  full  at  a  body 
of  eight  hundred  of  the  Catholic  cavalry. 

For  a  time  the  struggle  was  a  desperate  one.  The  Hugue- 
nots performed  prodigies  of  valour,  but  the  Royalists  were  re- 
inforced, and  the  devoted  band  melted  away.  One  Huguenot 
nobleman  named  La  Vergne  fought  surrounded  by  twenty-five 
of  his  kinsmen  whom  he  brought  into  the  field.  He  himself 
and  fifteen  of  his  followers  fell  in  a  circle.  Most  of  the  others 
were  taken  prisoners.  At  last  Condi's  horse  was  killed 
under  him  and  fell,  pinning  him  to  the  ground.  Conde" 
raised  his  visor  and  surrendered  to  two  knights  to  whom  he 
was  known.  They  raised  him  from  the  ground  respectfully, 
but  as  they  did  so  Montesquieu,  captain  of  Anjou's  guards, 
rode  up,  and  drawing  a  pistol,  shot  Conde"  in  the  back,  kill- 
ing him  almost  instantaneously.  Several  other  Huguenot 
nobles  were  killed  in  cold  blood  after  they  had  surrendered. 

But  Condi's  magnificent  charge  had  not  been  without  effect, 
for  it  enabled  the  Admiral  to  draw  off  from  the  field  without 
further  loss.  The  accounts  of  the  number  of  killed  and 
wounded  differ,  but  numerically  it  was  very  small.  The 
Huguenot  infantry  were  not  engaged  at  all,  with  the  exception 
of  a  small  body  of  the  regiment  of  Plupiart.  But  of  their 
cavalry  nearly  four  hundred  were  killed  or  taken  prisoners, 
and  of  these  a  hundred  and  forty  were  nobles  and  gentlemen, 
the  flower  of  the  Huguenot  nobility.  Among  the  prisoners  were 
La  Nolle,  Soubise,  La  Loiie,  and  many  others  of  distinction. 

Coligny's  retreat  was  not  interfered  with.  The  satisfaction 
of  the  Catholics  at  the  death  of  Conde"  was  so  great  that  they 
were  contented  to  rest  upon  their  success.  There  were  great 


THE   BATTLE   OF  JARNAC  251 

rejoicings  throughout  France  and  the  Catholic  countries  of 
Europe  over  the  exaggerated  accounts  issued  by  Anjou  of  his 
victory,  and  it  was  generally  considered  that  the  Huguenot 
cause  was  lost.  However,  out  of  a  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
troops  of  cavalry  only  fifteen  had  been  engaged,  and  only  six 
out  of  two  hundred  companies  of  infantry. 

The  army  retired  to  Cognac,  where  the  brave  Queen  of 
Navarre  at  once  hurried  on  hearing  the  intelligence,  and  her- 
self addressed  the  army,  reminding  them  that  though  the  Prince 
of  Conde"  was  dead  the  good  cause  was  still  alive,  and  that  God 
would  provide  fresh  instruments  for  carrying  on  His  work. 
She  then  hurried  away  to  La  Rochelle  to  make  provision  for 
the  needs  of  the  army.  The  young  Prince  Henri  was,  at 
Conde 's  death,  nominally  placed  in  command  of  the  army  as 
general-in-chief,  and  he  was  joined  by  his  cousin,  the  young 
Prince  of  Cond£,  a  lad  of  about  his  own  age. 

D'Anjou,  one  of  the  most  despicable  of  the  princes  of 
France,  was  so  intoxicated  by  the  success  that  he  had  gained 
that  for  a  time  he  made  no  effort  to  follow  up  his  advantage. 
He  disgraced  himself  by  having  the  body  of  Conde  stripped 
and  carried  on  a  donkey  to  Jarnac,  and  there  exposed  for  four 
days  by  the  house  where  he  lodged,  while  he  occupied  himself 
in  writing  vainglorious  despatches  to  all  the  Catholic  kings  and 
princes.  At  last  he  moved  forward  to  the  siege  of  Cognac. 
Seven  thousand  infantry,  for  the  most  part  new  levies,  had 
been  placed  here  by  Coligny,  and  these  received  the  royal 
army  with  great  determination.  Not  only  were  the  assaults 
upon  the  walls  repulsed  with  heavy  loss,  but  the  garrison  made 
many  sallies,  and  after  wasting  a  month  before  the  town, 
Anjou,  despairing  of  its  capture,  drew  off  the  army,  which  had 
suffered  heavier  losses  here  than  it  had  done  in  the  battle  of 
Jarnac.  He  then  besieged  St.  Jean  d'Angely,  where  the  gar- 
rison commanded  by  Count  Montgomery  also  repulsed  all 
attacks.  Angouleme  was  attacked  with  an  equal  want  of  suc- 
cess, but  Mucidan,  a  town  to  the  southwest  of  Perigueux,  was 
captured.  The  attack  upon  it,  however,  cost  the  life  of  De 
Brissac,  one  of  his  best  officers — a  loss  which  Anjou  avenged 
by  the  murder  in  cold  blood  of  the  garrison,  which  surrendered 
on  condition  that  life  and  property  should  be  spared. 


252  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

As  a  set-off  to  the  success  of  the  Huguenots,  they  suffered  a 
heavy  blow  in  the  death  of  the  gallant  D'Andelot,  the  Admiral's 
brother — an  officer  of  the  highest  ability,  who  had,  before  the 
outbreak  of  the  troubles,  occupied  the  rank  of  colonel-general 
of  the  French  infantry.  His  death  was  attributed  by  both 
parties  to  poison,  believed  to  have  been  administered  by  an 
emissary  of  Catherine  de  Medici.  The  fact,  however,  was  not 
clearly  established,  and  possibly  he  fell  a  victim  to  arduous 
and  unceasing  toil  and  exertion. 

Both  Francois  de  Laville  and  Philip  Fletcher  had  been 
severely  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Jarnac,  and  some  twenty  of 
their  troop  had  fallen  in  the  fight.  They  were  able,  however, 
to  sit  their  horses  until  they  reached  Cognac.  The  Admiral 
visited  them  as  soon  as  he  arrived  there.  He  had  noticed  the 
little  band  as  it  emerged  unbroken  from  the  charge,  and  at 
once  ranged  itself  up  to  aid  him  in  retreating  from  the  village 
of  Bassac,  until  Condi's  charge  enabled  him  to  draw  off.  He 
praised  the  cousins  highly  for  their  conduct,  and  as  soon  as 
they  were  able  to  be  about  again  he  bestowed  on  both  the 
honour  of  knighthood,  and  then  sent  them  to  La  Rochelle  to 
remain  there  until  perfectly  cured.  The  vacancies  in  the  troop 
were  filled  up  by  young  men  from  the  estate,  who  responded  to 
the  summons  of  the  countess  for  men  to  take  the  place  of  those 
who  had  fallen,  in  her  son's  command. 

The  young  Prince  of  Navarre  had,  while  at  Cognac,  paid 
frequent  visits  to  Philip,  for  whom  he  had  taken  a  great  liking, 
and  he  again  begged  Coligny  to  appoint  him  as  one  of  the 
knights  told  off  as  his  special  body-guard.  The  Admiral, 
however,  repeated  the  arguments  he  had  before  used. 

"  He  is  very  young,  prince,  though  he  has  borne  himself  so 
well,  and  it  would  create  much  jealousy  among  our  young 
nobles  were  I  to  choose  a  foreigner  for  so  honourable  a 
post." 

"  But  my  councillors  are  all  staid  men,  Admiral,  and  I  want 
someone  I  can  talk  to  without  ceremony." 

"There  are  plenty  of  young  Frenchmen,  prince.  If  you 
must  choose  one  why  not  take  the  Count  de  Laville?  You 
were  saying  but  yesterday  that  you  liked  him." 

"Yes,  he   is   something   like   his   cousin;   I   think   being 


THE   BATTLE   OF  JARNAC  253 

together  has  given  him  Philip's  manner.  If  I  cannot  have 
Philip  I  should  like  to  have  him." 

"  He  would  doubtless  feel  it  a  great  honour,  prince,  while  I 
doubt,  were  I  to  offer  the  post  to  the  young  Englishman,  if  he 
would  accept  it.  He  has  not  come  here  to  seek  honour,  but 
to  fight  for  our  faith.  I  had  a  conversation  with  him  one 
day,  and  found  that  it  was  with  that  simple  purpose  he  came 
here,  and  however  honourable  the  post,  I  am  sure  he  would 
prefer  one  that  gave  him  full  opportunity  for  taking  an  active 
part.  With  De  Laville  it  is  different.  He  is  a  French  noble, 
and  maybe  some  day  you  will  be  king  of  France.  He  is  of  a 
brave  and  adventurous  spirit,  but  methinks  that  the  young 
Englishman  has  a  greater  genrus  for  war.  His  cousin,  al- 
though older,  I  observe  generally  appeals  to  him  for  his  opin- 
ion, and  has  frankly  and  nobly  given  him  the  chief  credit  in 
the  affairs  in  which  he  has  been  engaged." 

The  Admiral  was  not  mistaken.  Francois,  when  asked  if  he 
would  like  to  be  appointed  as  one  of  the  gentlemen  about  the 
prince's  person,  at  once  embraced  the  offer,  which,  as  he  saw, 
afforded  him  great  openings  for  advancement  in  the  future. 
His  only  regret  was  that  it  would  separate  him  from  Philip. 
When  he  said  as  much  to  his  cousin,  on  informing  him  of 
the  unexpected  honour  that  had  befallen  him,  Philip  replied 
at  once,  "  Do  not  think  of  that,  Francois.  I  shall  of  course 
be  sorry,  but  I  shall  see  you  often,  and  you  would  be  wrong  to 
refuse  such  an  offer.  The  King  of  France  has  no  children. 
His  two  brothers  are  unmarried.  Anjou  is,  from  all  accounts, 
reckless  and  dissolute,  and  Alencon  is  sickly.  They  alone 
stand  between  Henri  of  Navarre  and  the  throne  of  France, 
and  should  he  succeed  to  it  his  intimates  will  gain  honours, 
rank,  and  possessions.  There  is  not  a  young  noble  but  would 
feel  honoured  by  being  selected  for  the  post.  As  for  fighting, 
no  one  can  say  how  long  these  troubles  may  last,  and  I  am 
greatly  mistaken  if  those  round  Henri  of  Navarre,  when  he 
reaches  manhood,  will  not  have  their  full  share  of  it." 

Therefore,  when  the  two  newly-made  young  knights  went  to 
La  Rochelle  for  quiet  and  sea-air,  it  was  with  the  understand- 
ing that  as  soon  as  their  strength  was  thoroughly  recovered 
Francois  should  resign  the  command  of  the  troop  to  Philip, 


254  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

and  would  himself  ride  with  the  Prince  of  Navarre  and  his 
cousin  Conde".  Francois  had  at  once  written  to  his  mother 
with  the  news  of  his  appointment,  and  a  few  days  after  they 
reached  La  Rochelle  received  an  answer  expressing  her  grati- 
fication. 

"I  rejoice,"  she  said,  "not  only  because  it  is  a  post  of  high 
honour,  but  because  it  will  take  you  somewhat  out  of  the  heat 
of  the  fray.  I  have  not  hesitated  to  let  you  risk  your  life  in 
the  cause;  but  you  are  my  only  son,  and  were  you  slain  I 
should  be  alone  in  the  world,  and  the  title  would  go  to  one  of 
your  cousins,  for  whom  I  care  nothing,  and  it  will  be  a  com- 
fort for  me  to  know  in  the  future  you  will  not  be  running  such 
fearful  risks." 

At  La  Rochelle  they  took  up  their  abode  at  Maitre  Bertram's, 
and  were  most  kindly  received  by  him  and  his  daughter. 

"It  is  but  two  years  since  you  landed  here  with  madame, 
your  mother,  Monsieur  Fletcher.  You  were  but  a  stripling 
then,  though  you  gave  wonderful  promise  of  size  and  strength. 
Now  you  are  a  man,  and  have  won  the  honour  of  knighthood, 
and  methinks  that  in  thew  and  sinew  there  are  not  many  in 
our  army  who  would  overmatch  you." 

"Oh,  yes,  there  are,  Maitre  Bertram,"  Philip  laughed.  "I 
have  a  big  frame  like  my  father's,  I  will  admit,  and  to  look  at 
it  may  be  as  you  say,  but  I  shall  want  many  another  year  over 
my  head  before  my  strength  matches  my  size.  I  am  but  just 
eighteen,  and  men  do  not  come  to  their  full  strength  till  they 
are  five-and-twenty. " 

"You  are  strong  enough  for  anything  now, "  the  merchant 
said,  "and  I  should  not  like  to  stand  a  downright  blow  from 
you  in  the  best  suit  of  armour  ever  forged.  I  was  glad  to  see 
that  rascal  Pierre  come  back  with  you.  He  is  a  merry  fellow, 
though  I  fear  that  he  causes  idleness  among  my  servants  for  all 
the  grave  looks  he  puts  on  as  he  waits  on  you  at  dinner.  Is 
he  valiant?  " 

"He  has  had  no  great  opportunity  of  showing  valour," 
Philip  replied,  "but  he  is  cool,  and  not  easily  ruffled,  and  he 
fought  stoutly  in  the  defence  of  the  Count  de  Laville's  chateau; 
but  of  course  it  is  not  his  business  to  ride  behind  me  in 
battle." 


THE    BATTLE   OF   JARNAC  255 

Philip  had  corresponded  regularly  with  his  parents,  and  had 
received  letters  in  reply  from  them,  and  also  from  his  uncle 
and  aunt,  though  these  of  course  came  irregularly,  as  ships 
happened  to  be  sailing  for  La  Rochelle.  His  father  wrote  but 
briefly,  but  his  letters  expressed  satisfaction. 

"I  am  right  glad,"  he  said,  "to  think  that  a  Fletcher  is 
again  cracking  the  skulls  of  Frenchmen — I  mean,  of  course, 
of  Catholic  Frenchmen — for  I  regard  the  Huguenots,  being  of 
our  religion,  as  half  English.  I  don't  say  take  care  of  yourself, 
my  lad — it  is  not  the  way  of  Englishmen  to  do  that  on  the 
battlefield — but  it  would  be  a  grievous  day  for  us  all  here  if 
we  heard  that  aught  had  befallen  you." 

The  letters  of  his  mother  and  aunt  were  of  a  different  char- 
acter, and  dwelt  strongly  upon  the  sacred  cause  upon  which  he 
was  engaged,  and  both  rejoiced  greatly  over  the  number  of 
Huguenots  he  and  Francois  had  rescued  round  Niort.  His 
uncle's  letters  were  more  worldly. 

"Your  aunt's  letters  to  my  wife,"  he  said,  "speak  very 
warmly  in  praise  of  you.  She  said  you  have  distinguished 
yourself  highly,  that  you  have  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
Prince  of  Conde"  and  the  Admiral,  have  rendered  service  to  the 
Queen  of  Navarre  and  her  son,  and  have  received  tokens  of 
their  esteem;  also  that  you  stand  high  in  the  regard  of  the 
Count  de  la  Nolle,  who  is  in  all  respects  a  most  accomplished 
gentleman,  and  that  he  has  told  her  that  he  hopes  before  long 
you  will  receive  the  honour  of  knighthood.  Worldly  honours, 
Philip,  are  not  to  be  despised,  especially  when  they  are  won 
by  worthy  service,  although  I  know  that  my  wife  and  your 
mother  think  but  lightly  of  them,  and  that  it  is  the  fashion  of 
those  of  our  faith  to  treat  them  with  contempt.  Such  is  not 
my  opinion.  I  am  gratified  to  think  that  the  money  I  have 
made  in  trade  will  descend  to  one  of  whom  I  can  be  proud, 
and  who  in  this  country  may  occupy  the  position  that  his 
ancestors  on  his  mother's  side  did  in  my  own,  and  to  me  it 
will  be  a  matter  of  extreme  gratification  if  I  hear  that  you  have 
won  your  spurs,  especially  at  the  hand  of  so  great  a  leader  and 
so  worthy  a  one  as  Admiral  Coligny.  I  promise  you  that 
there  shall  be  feasting  among  the  poor  of  Canterbury  on  the 
day  when  the  news  comes.  Of  late  you  have  drawn  but  slightly 


256  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

upon  me,  for,  as  you  say,  you  have  few  expenses  save  the  pay 
of  your  five  men  when  staying  at  Laville;  but  do  not  stint 
money  should  there  be  an  occasion." 

Upon  rejoining  the  camp  Philip  found  the  time  hang  some- 
what heavily  upon  his  hands.  Francois  was  necessarily  much 
with  the  prince.  Captain  Montpace  looked  after  the  troop, 
and  the  Count  de  la  Noiie  was  in  captivity.  A  few  days  after 
he  rejoined,  however,  one  of  the  Admiral's  pages  came  to  his 
tent  and  requested  him  to  call  upon  Coligny. 

"The  camp  will  break  up  to-morrow,  Chevalier  Fletcher," 
the  latter  said.  "We  are  going  down  to  join  the  Viscounts, 
and  then  march  to  effect  a  junction  with  the  Due  de  Deux- 
Ponts,  who  we  hear  has  now  fairly  set  out  on  his  forward 
march.  I  wish  to  send  a  despatch  to  him,  and  I  know  no  one 
to  whom  I  could  better  intrust  it  than  yourself.  It  is  a 
mission  of  honour,  but  of  danger.  However,  you  have  already 
exhibited  such  tact  and  discretion  as  well  as  bravery,  that  I 
believe  if  anyone  can  reach  the  duke  through  the  two  royal 
armies  that  are  trying  to  intercept  him  you  can  do  so.  Will 
you  undertake  the  mission?  " 

"  I  am  greatly  honoured  by  your  intrusting  me  with  it,  sir, 
and  will  assuredly  do  my  best." 

"I  do  not  propose  that  you  should  travel  in  disguise,"  the 
Admiral  said,  "for  disguise  means  slow  motion,  and  there  is 
need  for  despatch.  Therefore,  I  should  say,  take  a  small  body 
of  well-mounted  men  with  you,  and  ride  as  speedily  as  you 
can.  How  many  to  take  I  leave  to  your  discretion.  The 
despatches  will  be  ready  for  you  by  ten  o'clock  to-night." 

"I  shall  be  ready  to  start  at  that  hour,  sir,"  and  Philip 
returned  to  his  tent.  After  sitting  thinking  for  a  few  minutes 
he  called  to  Pierre,  who  was  sitting  outside. 

"Pierre,  I  want  your  advice.  I  am  about  to  start  on  a 
journey  to  the  east  of  France.  I  do  "not  go  this  time  in  dis- 
guise, but  ride  straight  through.  What  think  you?  how  many 
men  shall  I  take  with  me — one  or  fifty?" 

"Not  fifty  certainly,"  Pierre  said  promptly.  "There  is 
mighty  trouble  in  feeding  fifty  men;  besides,  you  may  have 
to  pass  as  a  Royalist,  and  who  can  answer  for  the  discretion 
of  so  many?  Besides,  if  we  have  to  turn  and  double,  there  is 


THE    BATTLE    OF   JARNAC  257 

no  hiding  fifty  men.  If  you  ride  through  the  smallest  village 
at  midnight  the  noise  would  wake  the  inhabitants,  and  when 
the  enemy  came  up  they  would  get  news  of  your  passage.  I 
do  not  see  that  you  can  do  better  than  take  Eustace  and  Roger 
and  myself.  Henri  will  not  be  fit  to  ride  for  weeks  yet,  and 
although  Jacques  is  recovering  from  the  loss  of  his  bridle-arm 
you  settled  that  he  was  to  go  to  Laville,  where  the  countess 
would  take  him  into  her  service.  Jarnac  lessened  your  force 
by  half,  but  I  think  that  two  will  be  as  good  as  four  on  a 
journey  like  this.  Such  a  party  can  pass  unnoticed.  It  is 
but  a  gentleman  with  two  retainers  behind  him  from  a  neigh- 
bouring chateau." 

"  That  is  what  I  concluded  myself,  Pierre,  but  I  thought  I 
would  ask  your  opinion  about  it,  for  you  have  shown  yourself 
a  shrewd  fellow.  All  your  horses  are  in  good  condition,  and 
it  is  well  that  I  exchanged  those  you  rode  before  for  some  of 
the  best  of  the  three  hundred  we  captured  from  the  assailants 
of  the  chateau.  Of  course,  you  will  ride  one  of  my  horses, 
changing  the  saddle  every  day  as  your  weight  is  so  much  less 
than  mine.  I  shall  not  take  armour  with  me,  the  extra  weight 
tells  heavily  on  a  long  journey;  and  besides,  a  knight  in  full 
armour  would  attract  more  attention  than  one  riding  as  it 
would  seem  for  pleasure.  Let  Eustace  and  Roger  pick  the 
two  best  horses." 

"When  do  we  start,  sir?" 

"We  must  be  saddled  and  ready  to  start  by  ten  to-night. 
See  that  a  bottle  of  wine,  a  cold  fowl,  and  a  portion  of  bread 
for  each  are  brought  along  with  us.  We  shall  have  a  long 
night's  ride.  We  will  carry  no  valises,  they  add  to  the  weight 
and  look  like  travelling.  Let  each  man  make  a  small  canvas 
bag  and  place  in  it  a  change  of  linen.  It  can  be  rolled  up  in 
the  cloak  and  strapped  behind  the  saddle.  A  dozen  charges 
for  each  pistol  will  be  more  than  we  shall  be  likely  to  require. 
Tell  them  to  take  no  more.  They  must  take  their  breast- 
pieces  and  steel  caps,  of  course.  They  can  leave  the  back- 
pieces  behind  them.  I  will  go  round  to  the  hospital  and  say 
good-bye  to  Henri  and  Jacques,  they  will  feel  being  left 
behind  sorely." 

After  visiting  his  wounded  followers  he  went  to  the  house 


258  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

occupied  by  the  Prince  of  Navarre,  where  Francois  also  was 
lodged. 

"So  I  hear  you  are  off  again,  Philip,"  the  latter  said,  as  his 
cousin  entered  the  salon  where  two  or  three  of  the  prince's 
companions  were  sitting.  "  I  should  feel  envious  of  you  were 
it  not  that  we  also  are  on  the  point  of  starting." 

"How  did  you  know  I  was  going  off,  Francois?" 

"  The  prince  told  me  half  an  hour  since.  He  heard  it  from 
the  Admiral.  He  told  me  he  wished  he  was  going  with  you  in- 
stead of  with  the  army.  He  is  always  thirsting  after  adventure. 
He  bade  me  bring  you  in  to  him  if  you  came.  I  said  you  would 
be  sure  to  do  so.  It  was  useless  my  going  out  to  look  for  you, 
as  I  could  not  tell  what  you  might  have  to  do  before  starting." 

The  young  prince  threw  aside  the  book  he  was  reading  when 
they  entered. 

"Ah,  monsieur  the  Englishman,"  he  said,  "so  you  are  off 
again  like  a  veritable  knight-errant  of  romance  in  search  of 
fresh  adventure." 

"No,  sir,  my  search  will  be  to  avoid  adventure." 

"Ah,  well,  you  are  sure  to  find  some  whether  or  not. 
Sapristie,  but  it  is  annoying  to  be  born  a  prince." 

"It  has  its  advantages  also,  sir,"  Philip  said  smiling. 

The  prince  laughed  merrily. 

"  So  I  suppose,  but  for  my  part  I  have  not  discovered  them 
as  yet.  I  must  hope  for  the  future,  but  it  appears  to  me  now 
that  it  can  never  be  pleasant.  One  is  obliged  to  do  this,  that, 
and  the  other  because  one  is  a  prince.  One  always  has  to 
have  one's  head  full  of  politics,  to  listen  gravely  to  stupidities, 
to  put  up  with  tiresome  people,  and  never  to  have  one's  own 
way  in  anything.  However,  I  suppose  my  turn  will  come, 
but  at  present  I  would  rather  be  hunting  the  wild  goats  in 
Navarre  than  pretending  to  be  general-in-chief  of  an  army, 
when  everyone  knows  that  I  am  not  even  as  free  to  go  my 
own  way  as  a  common  soldier.  I  shall  look  to  see  you  again, 
Chevalier  Philip,  and  shall  expect  you  to  have  some  more  good 
stories  to  tell  me." 

Having  handed  him  his  despatches,  the  Admiral  pointed 
out  to  him  the  position,  as  far  as  he  knew  by  recent  report,  of 
the  forces  under  the  Dukes  of  Aumale  and  Nemours. 


THE   BATTLE   OF   JARNAC  259 

"Possibly  there  will  be  other  enemies,"  the  Admiral  said, 
"  for  our  friends  in  Paris  have  sent  me  word  that  the  Spanish 
ambassador  has  at  the  king's  request  written  to  beg  the  Duke 
of  Alva,  and  Mansfeld,  governor  of  Luxembourg,  to  send  troops 
to  aid  in  barring  the  way  to  the  Due  de  Deux- Fonts.  I  hope 
Alva  has  his  hands  full  with  his  own  troubles  in  the  Nether- 
lands, and  although  Spain  is  always  lavish  of  promises  it  gives 
but  little  real  aid  to  the  king.  Then  again,  on  the  road  you 
may  meet  with  bands  of  German  mercenaries  sent  by  the 
Catholic  princes  to  join  the  royal  forces.  As  you  see,  the 
despatches  are  written  small,  and  at  your  first  halt  it  will  be 
well  if  you  sew  them  in  the  lining  of  your  boot,  they  will 
escape  observation  there  however  closely  you  may  be  searched, 
for  they  are  but  of  little  bulk,  and  I  have  written  them  on  the 
softest  paper  I  could  obtain,  so  that  it  will  not  crackle  to  the 
touch. 

"  I  leave  it  to  yourself  to  choose  the  route,  but  I  think  that 
you  could  not  do  better  than  take  that  one  you  before  followed 
when  you  and  Laville  joined  me  at  Chatillon,  thence  keep  well 
south  through  Lorraine.  The  royal  forces  are  at  Metz.  I  can 
give  you  no  farther  instructions,  for  I  cannot  say  how  rapidly 
Deux-Ponts  may  move,  or  what  route  he  may  be  obliged  to 
take  to  avoid  the  royal  forces.  And  now  farewell,  lad.  Re- 
member that  it  is  an  important  service  you  are  rendering  to 
our  cause  and  that  much  depends  on  your  reaching  Deux- 
Ponts,  for  the  despatches  tell  him  the  route  by  which  I  intend 
to  move,  indicate  that  which  he  had  best  follow  in  order  that 
he  may  effect  a  junction,  and  give  him  many  details  as  to 
roads,  fords,  and  bridges  that  may  be  of  vital  importance  to 
him." 

Philip  rode  forty  miles  that  night,  and  put  up  just  as  day- 
light was  breaking  at  the  village  of  Auverge.  There  they 
rested  for  six  hours  and  then  rode  on  to  Laville,  where  he  was 
received  with  great  joy  by  his  aunt,  for  whom  he  bore  a  letter 
from  Francois.  After  halting  here  for  a  few  hours  they  con- 
tinued their  journey.  So  far  they  had  been  riding  through  a 
friendly  country,  but  had  now  to  travel  with  due  precautions, 
journeying  fast,  and  yet  taking  care  that  the  horses  should  not 
be  overworked,  as  sudden  occasion  might  arise  for  speed  or 


260  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

endurance,  and  as  the  journey  was  some  eight  hundred  miles 
long  it  behoved  him  to  carefully  husband  the  strength  of  the 
animals. 

After  riding  another  fifteen  miles  they  stopped  for  the  night 
at  a  village,  as  Philip  intended  to  journey  by  day,  for  his 
arrival  at  inns  early  in  the  morning  would  excite  comment. 
The  three  men  had  been  carefully  instructed  in  the  story  they 
were  to  tell  at  the  inns  where  they  halted.  Their  master  was 
M.  de  Vibourg,  whose  estate  lay  near  the  place  at  which  they 
halted  on  the  preceding  night,  and  who  was  going  for  a  short 
visit  to  friends  at  the  next  town  at  which  they  would  arrive. 
If  questioned  as  to  his  politics,  they  were  to  say  that  he  held 
aloof  from  the  matter,  for  he  considered  that  undue  violence 
was  exercised  towards  the  Huguenots,  who,  he  believed,  if 
permitted  to  worship  in  their  own  way,  would  be  good  and 
harmless  citizens. 

So  day  by  day  they  journeyed  along,  avoiding  all  large  towns 
and  riding  quietly  through  small  ones  where  their  appearance 
attracted  no  attention  whatever.  On  the  fourth  day,  when 
as  usual  they  had  halted  to  dine  and  give  their  horses  a  couple 
of  hours'  rest,  Philip  heard  the  trampling  of  horses  outside  the 
inn.  Going  to  the  window  he  saw  two  gentlemen  with  eight 
armed  retainers  dismounting  at  the  door.  The  gentlemen 
wore  the  Royalist  colours.  At  the  same  moment  Pierre  came 
into  the  room. 

"  I  have  told  Eustace  and  Roger  to  finish  their  meal  quickly 
and  then  to  get  the  horses  saddled,  to  mount  and  take  ours 
quietly  to  the  end  of  the  village  and  wait  for  us  there,  sir,  so 
that  if  there  should  be  trouble  we  have  but  to  leap  through  the 
casement  and  make  a  short  run  of  it." 

"That  is  very  well  done,  Pierre,"  Philip  said,  reseating 
himself  at  the  table,  while  Pierre  took  his  place  behind  his 
chair  as  if  waiting  upon  him.  The  door  opened  and  the  two 
gentlemen  entered.  They  did  not  as  usual  remove  their  hats, 
but  seated  themselves  at  a  table  and  began  talking  noisily. 
Presently  one  made  a  remark  in  a  low  tone  to  the  other,  who 
turned  round  in  his  chair  and  stared  offensively  at  Philip. 
The  latter  continued  his  meal  without  paying  any  attention  to 
him. 


PHILIP   STRUCK    HIM    FULL   IN   THE   FACE." 


THE   BATTLE   OF  JARNAC  261 

"And  who  may  you  be,  young  sir?"  the  man  said,  rising 
and  walking  across  the  room. 

"  I  am  not  in  the  habit  of  answering  questions  addressed  to 
me  by  strangers,"  Philip  said  quietly. 

"  Par  bleu,  custom  or  no  custom,  you  have  to  answer  them 
now.  This  is  not  a  time  when  men  can  go  about  unques- 
tioned. You  do  not  wear  the  Royalist  colours,  and  I  demand 
to  know  who  you  are." 

"  I  would  wear  the  Royalist  colours  if  I  were  on  the  way  to 
join  the  Royalist  army,"  Philip  replied  calmly;  "as  at  present 
I  am  not  doing  so,  but  am  simply  travelling  as  a  private  gen- 
tleman, I  see  no  occasion  for  putting  on  badges." 

"You  have  not  answered  my  question.     Who  are  you?  " 

"I  do  not  intend  to  answer  the  question;  my  name  is  a 
matter  which  concerns  myself  only." 

"You  insolent  young  knave,"  the  man  said  angrily,  "I  will 
crop  your  ears  for  you." 

Philip  rose  from  the  table,  and  the  other  was  for  a  moment 
surprised  at  the  height  and  proportions  of  one  whom  he  had 
taken  for  a  mere  lad. 

"I  desire  to  have  no  words  with  you,"  Philip  said;  "eat 
your  dinner  in  peace  and  let  me  eat  mine,  for  if  it  comes  to 
cutting  off  ears  you  may  find  that  you  had  better  have  left  the 
matter  alone." 

The  gentleman  put  his  hand  to  the  hilt  of  his  sword  and 
was  in  the  act  of  drawing  it  when  Philip,  making  a  step  for- 
ward, struck  him  full  in  the  face  with  all  his  strength,  knock- 
ing him  backwards  to  the  ground.  His  companion  leapt  from 
his  seat  drawing  a  pistol  from  his  belt  as  he  did  so,  when 
Pierre  sent  a  plate  skimming  across  the  room  with  great  force. 
It  struck  the  man  in  the  mouth,  cutting  his  lips  and  knocking 
out  some  of  his  front  teeth.  The  pistol  exploded  harmlessly 
in  the  air,  while  the  sudden  shock  and  pain  staggered  and 
silenced  him,  and  before  he  could  recover  sufficiently  to  draw 
his  sword  or  to  shout,  Philip  and  Pierre  leaped  through  the 
open  casement  and  ran  down  the  street. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

A   HUGUENOT   PRAYER-MEETING 

THAT  was  a  good  shot,  Pierre,"  Philip  said  as  they  ran,  "and 
has  probably  saved  my  life." 

"I  am  accustomed  to  throw  straight,  sir;  my  dinner  has 
frequently  depended  on  my  knocking  down  a  bird  with  a 
stone,  and  it  was  not  often  that  I  had  to  go  without  it.  They 
are  making  a  rare  hubbub  back  at  the  inn." 

Loud  shouts  were  heard  behind  them. 

"We  have  plenty  of  time,"  Philip  said  as  he  moderated  the 
pace  at  which  they  had  started.  "  The  men  will  be  confused 
at  first,  knowing  nothing  of  what  it  all  means.  Then  they  will 
have  to  get  the  horses  out  of  the  stables." 

"And  then  they  will  have  trouble,"  Pierre  added. 

"What  trouble,  Pierre?" 

"I  gave  a  hint  to  Eustace,"  Pierre  said  with  a  laugh,  "that 
it  would  be  just  as  well  before  he  mounted  to  cut  off  all  the 
bridles  at  the  rings.  A  nice  way  they  will  be  in  when  they 
go  to  mount! " 

"Did  you  cut  their  bridles  for  them,  Eustace?"  he  asked 
as  they  came  up  to  the  others. 

"Ay,  and  their  stirrup-leathers  too,  Pierre." 

"Good,  indeed!  "  Philip  exclaimed.  "Without  bridles  or 
stirrup-leathers  they  can  scarce  make  a  start,  and  it  will  take 
them  some  minutes  to  patch  them  up.  We  will  ride  hard  for 
a  bit,  that  will  put  us  far  enough  ahead  to  be  able  to  take  any 
by-road  and  throw  them  off  our  traces.  I  have  no  fear  of  their 
catching  us  by  straight  riding.  The  masters'  horses  may  be 


A   HUGUENOT   PRAYER-MEETING  263 

as  good  as  ours,  but  those  of  the  men  can  hardly  be  so;  still, 
they  might  come  up  to  us  wherever  we  halted  for  the  night." 

They  looked  back  when  they  were  some  two  miles  from  the 
village,  and  along  the  long  straight  road  could  make  out  some 
figures  that  they  doubted  not  were  horsemen  just  starting  in 
pursuit. 

"They  waited  to  mend  their  leathers,"  Pierre  remarked. 

"They  were  right  there,"  Philip  said;  "for  a  man  can  fight 
but  poorly  without  bridle  or  stirrups.  The  horses  will  not  have 
been  fed,  so  we  have  an  advantage  there.  I  do  not  think  we 
need  trouble  ourselves  much  more  about  them." 

"There  is  one  thing,  sir,  they  won't  mind  foundering  their 
horses,  and  we  have  to  be  careful  of  ours." 

"That  is  so,  Pierre;  and  besides,  at  the  first  place  they  come 
to  they  may  send  others  on  in  pursuit  with  fresh  horses.  No, 
we  must  throw  them  off  our  track  as  soon  as  we  can.  There  is 
a  wood  a  mile  or  so  ahead;  we  will  leave  the  road  there." 

They  were  riding  on  the  margin  of  turf  bordering  the  road 
on  either  side  so  as  to  avoid  the  dust  that  lay  thick  and  white 
upon  it,  and  they  held  on  at  an  easy  canter  till  they  reached 
the  trees.  Then,  at  Philip's  order,  they  scattered  and  went  at 
a  walk,  so  as  to  avoid  leaving  marks  that  could  be  seen  at  once 
by  anyone  following  them.  A  couple  of  hundred  yards  farther 
they  came  upon  a  stream  running  through  a  wood;  it  was  but 
a  few  inches  deep. 

"This  will  do  for  us,"  Philip  said.  "Now  follow  me  in 
single  file,  and  see  that  your  horses  step  always  in  the  water." 

He  led  them  across  the  road  and  on  for  half  a  mile;  then 
they  left  the  stream  and  soon  afterwards  emerged  from  the 
wood  and  struck  across  the  country. 

"  I  should  think  they  will  have  had  pretty  well  enough  of  it 
by  the  time  they  get  to  the  wood,"  Philip  said,  "and  at  any 
rate  will  lose  a  lot  of  time  there.  They  will  trace  our  tracks 
to  the  edge  of  the  stream,  and  will  naturally  suppose  that  we 
will  follow  it  up  as  we  struck  it  on  the  other  side  of  the  road. 
It  is  like  enough  they  will  be  half  an  hour  searching  before 
they  find  where  we  left  the  stream,  and  will  know  well  enough 
then  it  will  be  hopeless  trying  to  catch  us." 

"They  saw  we  had  good  horses,"  Eustace  said,  "for  as  we 


264  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

led  them  out  one  of  them  made  the  remark  that  they  were  as 
good-looking  a  lot  of  horses  as  you  would  often  see  together. 
No  doubt  at  first  their  leaders  were  so  furious  that  they  thought 
of  nothing  but  mending  the  leathers  and  getting  off;  but  when 
they  get  a  check  in  the  wood  it  is  probable  that  someone  will 
venture  to  tell  them  how  well  we  are  mounted,  and  that  pursuit 
will  be  hopeless." 

"Nevertheless  I  think  they  will  pursue,  Monsieur  Philip," 
Pierre  said.  "They  did  not  look  like  men  who  would  swal- 
low an  injury  and  think  no  more  of  it.  As  long  as  there 
remains  a  single  chance  of  discovering  you  they  will  not  give 
up  pursuit.  Of  course  they  have  no  reason  for  suspicion  that 
you  are  anything  but  what  you  seem  to  be,  a  gentleman  of  the 
neighbourhood,  and  will  consider  that  at  one  or  other  of  the 
towns  or  villages  ahead  of  us  they  are  sure  to  hear  of  our 
passing  through,  and  perhaps  to  learn  who  you  are  and  where 
you  reside.  Doubtless  they  asked  at  the  inn  before  starting 
whether  you  were  known;  and  as  soon  as  they  find  they  are  not 
likely  to  catch  us  by  hard  riding,  they  will  make  straight  for- 
ward, dividing  into  several  parties  at  the  next  place  they  come 
to,  and  scattering  in  order  to  obtain  news  of  us." 

"  Which  they  will  not  get,"  Philip  said,  "  as  we  will  take  good 
care  to  avoid  passing  through  villages.  For  to-night  we  will 
sleep  in  the  woods,  as  the  weather  is  warm  and  pleasant." 

After  riding  another  fifteen  miles  they  halted  in  a  wood. 
They  always  carried  some  food  and  wine  with  them,  as  cir- 
cumstances might  at  any  time  arise  that  would  render  it 
imprudent  for  them  to  put  up  at  an  inn,  and  each  also  carried 
a  feed  of  corn  for  his  horse.  Leaving  Pierre  to  unsaddle  and 
rub  down  his  horse,  Philip  walked  to  the  farther  edge  of  the 
wood  to  view  the  country  beyond.  They  were,  he  knew,  not 
far  from  La  Chatre,  and  he  was  not  surprised  to  see  the  town, 
lying  in  a  valley,  to  which  the  ground  sloped  down  from  the 
wood.  It  was  about  a  mile  and  a  half  distant.  Nearer  the 
wood,  but  half  a  mile  to  the  west,  the  towers  of  a  fortified 
chateau  rose  from  a  clump  of  trees.  The  country  was  rich 
and  well  cultivated,  and  everything  had  an  aspect  of  peace  and 
comfort. 

"What  a  hideous  thing  it  is,"  Philip  said  to  himself,  "that 


A  HUGUENOT  PRAYER-MEETING  265 

in  so  fair  a  country  people  cannot  live  in  peace  together,  and 
should  fly  at  each  other's  throats  simply  because  they  cannot 
agree  that  each  shall  worship  God  after  his  own  fashion !  It 
might  be  Canterbury,  with  the  hills  rising  round  it  and  the 
little  river,  save  that  it  lacks  the  cathedral  rising  over  it;  and 
yet  I  doubt  not  there  are  many  there  who  live  in  daily  peril  of 
their  lives,  for  there  is  not  a  town  in  France  that  has  not  its 
share  of  Huguenots,  and  they  can  never  tell  when  the  storm  of 
popular  fury  may  burst  upon  them." 

The  shades  of  evening  were  beginning  to  fall  when  he 
rejoined  his  companions.  They  had  already  rubbed  down 
their  horses  and  replaced  the  saddles,  and  the  animals  were 
contentedly  eating  their  corn.  " 

"They  look  well,"  Philip  said  as  he  walked  from  one  to  the 
other. 

"Yes,  sir,  they  are  none  the  worse  for  their  travel  so  far, 
and  could  carry  us  on  a  hard  race  for  our  lives.  Shall  we 
light  a  fire?" 

"  I  do  not  think  it  is  worth  while,  Eustace.  The  evening 
is  warm,  and  we  shall  be  off  at  daybreak.  Someone  passing 
through  the  wood  might  see  the  flames  and  carry  the  news 
down  to  La  Chatre,  which  is  but  a  mile  and  a  half  away;  and 
it  is  quite  possible  that  those  fellows  we  had  to  do  with  to-day 
may  be  there  if  they  are  travelling  the  same  way  that  we  are, 
and  may  consider  it  likely  we  shall  halt  there  for  the  night. 
At  any  rate,  as  we  do  not  need  the  fire,  we  will  run  no  risks." 

They  ate  their  supper,  and  an  hour  later  wrapped  themselves 
in  their  cloaks  and  lay  down.  Philip  was  just  dropping  off  to 
sleep  when  Pierre  touched  him.  He  sat  up  with  a  start. 

"There  are  some  people  in  the  wood,"  Pierre  said. 

Philip  was  wide  awake  now,  and  the  sound  of  singing  at  no 
great  distance  came  to  his  ears. 

"It  is  a  Huguenot  hymn,"  he  exclaimed.  "There  must  be 
a  meeting  in  the  wood.  No  doubt  it  is  some  of  the  people 
from  the  town  who  have  come  out  to  hold  a  secret  meeting 
here.  I  will  go  and  see  it.  Come  with  me,  Pierre.  We  will 
go  very  quietly,  for  it  would  scare  them  terribly  did  they  hear 
anyone  approaching." 

Making  their  way  noiselessly  through  the  wood  they  came, 


266  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

after  walking  about  three  hundred  yards,  to  the  edge  of  an 
open  space  among  the  trees,  where  they  halted.  In  the  centre 
they  could  see  in  the  moonlight  a  body  of  some  seventy  or 
eighty  people  gathered.  Standing  upon  the  trunk  of  a  fallen 
tree  was  a  minister  who  was  addressing  them. 

"My  brethren,"  he  was  saying  when  they  could  catch  his 
words,  "  this  is  the  last  time  we  shall  meet  here.  We  know 
that  suspicions  have  already  arisen  that  we  are  holding  meet- 
ings, and  that  we  do  so  at  the  peril  of  our  lives.  The  search 
for  me  has  been  hot  for  some  days;  and  though  I  am  willing 
enough  to  give  my  life  in  the  cause  of  our  Lord,  I  would  not 
bring  destruction  upon  you  at  the  present  moment.  Were  the 
prospects  hopeless  I  should  say,  let  us  continue  together  here 
to  the  last;  but  the  sky  is  clearing,  and  it  may  be  that  ere  long 
freedom  of  worship  may  be  proclaimed  throughout  France. 
Therefore,  it  is  better  that  for  a  time  we  should  abstain  from 
gathering  ourselves  together.  Even  now  the  persecutors  may 
be  on  our  track." 

"Pierre,"  Philip  whispered,  "do  you  go  over  in  that  direc- 
tion until  you  come  to  the  edge  of  the  wood.  If  you  see  any 
signs  of  men  moving  about,  run  quickly  to  the  others  and  bring 
the  horses  up  here." 

"I  had  better  go  back  there  first,  had  I  not,  Monsieur 
Philip?  and  bring  the  men  and  horses  along  with  me  to  the 
edge  of  the  wood,  for  I  might  lose  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in 
searching  for  them." 

"  That  would  be  the  best  plan,  Pierre.  Should  you  hear  a 
sudden  noise  here,  hurry  in  this  direction,  and  I  will  come 
to  meet  you.  It  may  well  be  that,  guessing  the  Huguenots 
would  place  someone  on  watch  towards  the  town,  the  Catholics 
may,  if  they  come,  approach  from  the  other  side.  Should  you 
see  anyone  coming,  give  a  loud  shout  at  once.  It  will  act  as 
a  warning  to  these  people,  and  enable  them  to  scatter  and  fly 
before  their  foes  arrive." 

For  an  hour  the  preacher  continued  to  address  his  hearers, 
exhorting  them  to  stand  firm  in  the  faith,  and  to  await  with 
patience  the  coming  of  better  days. 

They  were  not  more  than  twenty  paces  away  from  the  spot 
where  Philip  was  standing,  and  in  the  moonlight  he  could 


A   HUGUENOT  PRAYER-MEETING  267 

clearly  see  the  faces  of  the  assembly,  for  the  preacher  was 
standing  with  his  back  to  him.  From  their  dress  he  judged 
that  most  of  them  belonged  to  the  poorer  classes,  though  three 
or  four  were  evidently  bourgeois  of  the  well-to-do  class. 
Seated  on  the  trunk  on  which  the  preacher  was  standing,  and 
looking  up  at  him  so  that  her  profile  was  clearly  visible  to 
Philip,  sat  a  young  girl  whose  face  struck  Philip  as  of  singular 
beauty.  The  hood  of  the  cloak  in  which  she  was  wrapped  had 
fallen  back  from  her  head,  and  her  hair  looked  golden  in  the 
moonlight.  She  was  listening  with  rapt  attention.  The  moon- 
light glistened  on  a  brooch  which  held  the  cloak  together  at 
her  throat.  A  young  woman  stood  by  her,  and  a  man,  in  steel 
cap  and  with  a  sword  at  his  'side,  stood  a  pace  behind  her. 
Philip  judged  that  she  belonged  to  a  rank  considerably  above 
that  of  the  rest  of  the  gathering.  When  the  address  had  con- 
cluded the  preacher  began  a  hymn  in  which  all  joined.  Just 
as  they  began  Philip  heard  the  crack  of  a  stick  among  the 
trees.  It  was  not  on  the  side  from  which  Pierre  would  be 
coming.  He  listened  attentively,  but  the  singing  was  so  loud 
that  he  could  hear  nothing,  except  that  once  a  clash  such  as 
would  be  made  by  a  scabbard  or  piece  of  armour  striking 
against  a  bough  came  to  his  ears.  Suddenly  he  heard  a  shout. 

"That  is  Pierre !  "  he  exclaimed  to  himself,  and  ran  forward 
into  the  circle.  There  was  a  cry  of  alarm,  and  the  singing 
suddenly  stopped. 

"  I  am  a  friend,"  he  exclaimed.  "  I  have  come  to  warn  you 
of  danger.  There  are  men  coming  in  this  direction  from  the 
town." 

"My  brethren,  we  will  separate,"  the  minister  said  calmly. 
"But  first  I  will  pronounce  the  benediction."  This  he  did 
solemnly,  and  then  said :  "  Now  let  all  make  through  the  wood, 
and,  issuing  from  the  other  side,  return  by  a  circuit  to  the 
town.  Mademoiselle  Claire,  I  will  accompany  you  to  the 
chateau." 

At  this  moment  Philip  heard  horses  approaching. 

"This  way,  Pierre,",  he  shouted,  and  ran  to  meet  them. 
Fifty  yards  away  he  came  upon  them,  and  leapt  into  his 
saddle.  "See  to  your  weapons,  lads,"  he  said;  "I  believe 
there  are  others  in  the  wood  already." 


268  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

He  was  within  twenty  yards  of  the  clearing  when  he  heard 
a  sudden  shout  of  "Down  with  the  Huguenot  dogs!  Kill! 
kill !  "  He  dashed  forward,  followed  by  his  men.  A  mob  of 
armed  men,  headed  by  two  or  three  horsemen,  had  burst 
from  the  opposite  side  of  the  glade,  and  were  rushing  upon 
the  Huguenots,  who  had  just  broken  up  into  small  groups. 
They  stood  as  if  paralysed  at  this  sudden  attack.  No  cry  or 
scream  broke  from  the  women;  most  of  these  threw  them- 
selves upon  their  knees;  a  few  of  the  men  followed  their  ex- 
ample, and  prepared  to  die  unresistingly.  Some  sprang  away 
among  the  trees,  and  above  the  din  the  preacher's  voice  was 
heard  commencing  a  Huguenot  hymn  beginning,  "  The  gates 
of  heaven  are  opened"  in  which,  without  a  moment's  hesita- 
tion, those  who  remained  around  him  joined. 

In  a  moment,  with  savage  shouts  and  yells,  their  assailants 
were  upon  them,  smiting  and  thrusting.  With  a  shout  Philip 
spurred  forward  from  the  other  side.  He  saw  at  once  that 
against  such  numbers  he  and  his  three  followers  could  do 
nothing,  but  his  rage  at  this  massacre  of  innocent  people — a 
scene  common  enough  in  France,  but  which  he  now  for  the 
first  time  witnessed — half-maddened  him.  One  of  the  horse- 
men, whom  he  recognized  at  once  as  the  man  Pierre  had 
knocked  down  with  the  plate,  rode  at  the  girl  Philip  had  been 
watching,  and  who  was  standing  with  upturned  face  joining 
in  the  hymn.  The  man  attending  her  drew  his  sword,  and 
placed  himself  in  the  way  of  the  horsemen,  but  the  latter  cut 
him  down,  and  raised  the  sword  to  strike  full  at  the  girl, 
when  Philip  shot  him  through  the  head.  Instantly  another 
horseman,  with  a  shout  of  recognition,  rode  at  him.  Philip 
thrust  his  still  smoking  pistol  in  his  holster,  and  drew  his 
sword. 

"This  is  more  than  I  hoped  for,"  his  assailant  said  as  he 
dealt  a  sweeping  blow  at  him. 

"Do  not  congratulate  yourself  too  soon,"  Philip  replied 
as  he  guarded  the  blow,  and,  lunging  in  return,  the  point 
glided  off  his  adversary's  armour.  He  parried  again,  and 
then  with  a  back-handed  sweep  he  struck  his  opponent  on  the 
neck  with  his  whole  force.  Coming  out  to  take  part  in  a 
Huguenot  hunt,  in  which  he  expected  no  opposition,  the 


A   HUGUENOT   PRAYER-MEETING  269 

knight  had  left  his  helmet  behind  him,  and  fell  from  his 
horse  with  his  head  half-severed  from  his  body.  In  the 
meantime  the  two  men-at-arms  and  Pierre  had  driven  back 
the  mob  of  townsmen,  who,  however,  having  massacred  most 
of  the  unresisting  Huguenots,  were  surging  up  round  them. 

"  Give  me  your  hand,  mademoiselle,  and  put  your  foot  on 
mine,"  Philip  exclaimed  to  the  girl,  who  was  still  standing 
close  to  him.  "Pierre,"  he  shouted,  as,  bewildered  by  the 
uproar,  the  girl  instinctively  obeyed  the  order,  "take  this 
woman  up  behind  you."  Pierre  made  his  horse  plunge  and 
so  freed  himself  from  those  attacking  him,  then  reining 
round  he  rode  to  Philip's  side,  and  helped  the  companion 
of  the  young  lady  to  the  croup  of  his  saddle,  Philip  dash- 
ing forward  to  free  his  two  followers  from  their  numerous 
assailants. 

"To  the  left,  Eustace; "  and  cutting  their  way  through  the 
crowd  the  three  horsemen  freed  themselves,  and,  as  they 
dashed  off,  were  joined  by  Pierre. 

"We  must  work  back  by  the  way  we  came,  Monsieur 
Philip,"  Pierre  said;  "there  is  another  body  coming  up  in 
front  to  cut  off  fugitives,  and  that  was  why  I  shouted  to  you." 

In  a  minute  or  two  they  were  out  of  the  wood.  Men  were 
seen  running  across  the  fields,  but  these  they  easily  avoided. 

"Now  turn  again  and  make  straight  for  La  Chatre,"  Philip 
said,  "we  can  cross  the  bridge  and  ride  through  the  place 
without  danger.  Those  who  would  have  interfered  with  us 
are  all  behind  us." 

As  he  had  expected,  the  place  was  perfectly  quiet.  The 
better  class  of  the  bourgeois  were  all  asleep,  either  ignorant  or 
disapproving  of  the  action  of  the  mob.  As  soon  as  they  were 
through  the  town  Philip  checked  the  speed  of  his  horse. 

"Mademoiselle,"  he  said,  "I  am  as  yet  in  ignorance  of 
your  name.  I  am  the  Chevalier  Philip  Fletcher,  an  English 
gentleman  fighting,  for  the  cause  of  the  reformed  religion, 
under  Admiral  Coligny.  I  am  on  my  way  east  with  important 
despatches,  and  I  was  bivouacking  with  my  three  followers  in 
the  wood  when  I  was  attracted  by  the  singing.  Judging  from 
the  words  of  the  minister  that  there  was  danger  of  an  attack  I 
put  one  of  my  men  on  the  watch,  while  I  myself  remained 


270  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

in  the  wood  by  your  meeting-place.  Unfortunately  the  sound 
of  the  last  hymn  you  sang  drowned  the  noise  made  by  the 
party  that  assailed  you.  However,  happily  we  were  in  time  to 
save  you  and  your  servant,  and  our  sudden  appearance  doubt- 
less enabled  many  to  escape  who  would  otherwise  have  been 
massacred." 

The  girl  had  burst  into  a  fit  of  sobbing  as  soon  as  the  danger 
was  over,  but  she  had  now  recovered. 

"My  name  is  Claire  de  Valecourt,  monsieur,"  she  said. 
"  My  father  is  with  the  Admiral.  He  will  be  deeply  grateful 
to  you  for  saving  my  life." 

"I  have  the  honour  of  knowing  the  Count  de  Valecourt, 
mademoiselle,  and  am  glad  indeed  that  I  have  been  able  to 
be  of  service  to  his  daughter.  The  count  is  one  of  the  gentle- 
men who  act  as  guardians  to  the  Prince  of  Navarre,  whom  I 
have  also  the  honour  of  knowing.  And  now,  what  are  your 
wishes?  It  is  not  too  late  even  now,  should  you  desire  it, 
for  me  to  take  you  back  to  the  chateau." 

"I  should  be  defenceless  there,  sir,"  she  said.  "There 
are  but  a  score  of  men-at-arms,  and  though  formerly  a  place 
of  some  strength,  it  could  not  be  defended  now.  See,  sir,  it 
is  too  late  already." 

Philip  looked  round  and  saw  a  bright  light  suddenly  rising 
from  the  clump  of  trees  on  which  the  chateau  stood.  He 
gave  an  exclamation  of  anger. 

"It  cannot  be  helped,"  she  said  quietly;  "it  is  but  a  small 
place.  It  was  part  of  my  mother's  dower.  Our  estates,  you 
know,  are  in  Provence.  My  father  thought  I  should  be  safer 
here  than  remaining  there  alone  while  he  was  away.  We  have 
always  been  on  good  terms  with  the  townspeople  here,  and 
they  did  not  interfere  with  those  of  our  religion  during  the 
last  war,  so  we  thought  that  it  would  be  the  same  now;  but  of 
late  some  people  have  been  here  stirring  up  the  townsmen, 
and  some  travelling  friars  preached  in  the  market-place  not 
long  since,  upbraiding  the  people  with  their  slackness  in  not 
rooting  us  out  altogether. 

"  A  month  ago  one  of  the  persecuted  ministers  came  to  the 
chateau  at  night,  and  has  been  concealed  there  since.  Seeing 
that  there  will  be  no  minister  here  for  some  time,  word  was 


A   HUGUENOT   PRAYER-MEETING  271 

sent  round  secretly  to  those  of  our  religion  in  the  town,  and 
twice  a  week  we  have  had  meetings  in  the  wood.  Many  of 
the  servants  of  the  chateau  are  Catholics,  and  of  the  men-at- 
arms  the  majority  are  not  of  our  faith,  therefore  I  used  to  steal 
out  quietly  with  my  attendant.  We  heard  two  days  ago  that 
a  rumour  of  the  meetings  had  got  about,  and  to-night's  was  to 
have  been  the  last  of  them." 

"And  now,  mademoiselle,  what  are  your  wishes?  Have 
you  any  friends  with  whom  I  could  place  you  until  you  could 
rejoin  your  father?  " 

"None  near  here,  monsieur;  I  have  always  lived  in  the 
south." 

"I  should  not  have  taken  -you  for  a  lady  of  Provence," 
Philip  said.  "  Your  hair  is  fair,  and  you  have  rather  the  ap- 
pearance of  one  of  my  own  countrywomen  than  of  one  born 
in  the  south  of  France." 

"I  am  partly  of  northern  blood,"  she  said.  "My  mother 
was  the  daughter  of  Sir  Allan  Ramsay,  a  Scottish  gentleman 
who  took  service  in  France,  being  driven  from  home  by  the 
feuds  that  prevailed  there.  I  knew  but  little  about  her,  for 
she  died  when  I  was  a  child,  and  my  father,  who  loved  her 
greatly,  seldom  speaks  to  me  of  her." 

Philip  rode  for  some  time  in  silence. 

"  I  feel  that  I  am  a  terrible  burden  on  your  hands,  mon- 
sieur," she  said  quietly  at  last;  "but  I  will  do  anything  that 
you  think  best.  If  you  set  us  down  we  will  try  and  find 
refuge  in  some  peasant's  hut,  or  we  can  dress  ourselves  as 
countrywomen  and  try  to  make  our  way  westward  to  La 
Rochelle." 

"That  is  not  to  be  thought  of,"  he  replied  gravely.  "Were 
it  not  that  my  despatches  may  not  be  delayed  without  great 
danger  to  our  cause  the  matter  would  be  of  no  inconvenience, 
but  we  must  ride  fast  and  far.  As  to  leaving  you  to  shift  for 
yourselves,  it  is  impossible;  but  if  we  could  find  a  Huguenot 
family  with  whom  I  could  place  you  it  would  be  different. 
But,  unfortunately,  we  are  all  strangers  to  the  country." 

"I  can  ride  well,"  the  girl  said,  "and,  if  horses  could  be 
procured,  would  with  my  maid  try  to  reach  La  Rochelle,  trav- 
elling by  night,  and  hiding  in  the  woods  by  day.  We  could 


272  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

carry  food  with  us,  so  as  not  to  have  to  enter  any  place  to  pur- 
chase it." 

Philip  shook  his  head. 

"We  will  halt  at  yonder  clump  of  trees,"  he  said;  "it  is 
not  yet  midnight,  and  then  we  can  talk  the  matter  over 
further." 

As  soon  as  they  halted  he  unrolled  his  cloak. 

"  Do  you,  mademoiselle,  and  your  attendant  lie  down  here. 
We  shall  be  but  a  short  distance  away,  and  two  of  us  will  keep 
watch,  therefore  you  can  sleep  without  fear  of  surprise." 

"This  is  an  unfortunate  business,  Pierre,"  he  said  after  the 
latter  had  fastened  the  horses  to  the  trees. 

"I  can  understand  that,  monsieur.  I  have  been  talking 
to  the  maid,  and  it  seems  that  they  have  no  friends  in  these 
parts." 

"That  is  just  it,  Pierre.  One  thing  is  certain,  they  cannot 
ride  on  with  us.  We  must  journey  as  fast  as  possible,  and 
delicate  women  could  not  support  the  fatigue,  even  were  it 
seemly  that  a  young  lady  of  good  family  should  be  galloping 
all  over  France  with  a  young  man  like  myself." 

"I  should  not  trouble  about  that,  monsieur.  At  ordinary 
times,  doubtless,  it  would  cause  a  scandal,  but  in  days  like 
these,  when  in  all  parts  of  France  there  are  women  and  chil- 
dren hiding  from  the  persecution  or  fleeing  for  their  lives, 
one  cannot  stand  upon  niceties;  but  doubtless,  as  you  say, 
they  would  hinder  our  speed  and  add  to  our  dangers." 

"  I  see  but  two  plans,  Pierre.  The  one  is  that  they  should 
journey  to  La  Rochelle  in  charge  of  yourself  and  Eustace. 
We  have  now  twice  crossed  the  country  without  difficulty,  and 
as  there  would  be  no  need  of  especial  speed  you  could  journey 
quietly,  choosing  quiet  and  lonely  places  for  your  halts,  such 
as  farmhouses,  or  groups  of  two  or  three  cottages  where  there 
is  a  tiny  inn." 

"What  is  your  other  plan,  sir?" 

"  The  other  plan  is  that  you  should  start  forward  at  once  so 
as  to  enter  St.  Amboise  early.  Stable  your  horse  at  an  inn, 
and  order  rooms,  saying  that  you  are  expecting  your  master 
and  a  party,  who  are  on  their  way  to  join  the  army.  You 
might  also  order  a^mea!  to  be  cooked.  Then  you  could  enter 


A  HUGUENOT  PRAYER-MEETING  273 

into  conversation  with  stablemen  and  others,  and  find  out 
whether  there  are  any  castles  in  the  neighbourhood  held  for 
us  by  Huguenot  lords  or  by  their  wives  in  their  absence.  If 
not,  if  there  are  any  Huguenot  villages.  In  fact,  try  and 
discover  some  place  where  we  may  leave  the  young  lady  in 
safety.  You  can  have  three  hours  to  make  your  inquiry. 

"  At  the  end  of  that  time,  whether  successful  or  not,  say  that 
you  are  going  out  to  meet  your  master  and  lead  him  to  the 
inn.  Give  the  host  a  crown  as  an  earnest  of  your  return  and 
on  account  of  the  meal  you  have  ordered,  and  then  ride  to 
meet  us.  We  shall  start  from  here  at  daybreak.  If  you  suc- 
ceed in  hearing  of  some  place  where,  as  it  seems,  she  can  be 
bestowed  in  safety,  we  will  take -her  there  at  once.  If  not, 
you  and  Eustace  must  start  back  with  them,  travelling  slowly. 
The  horses  will  carry  double  easily  enough.  Do  not  forget 
to  get  a  cold  capon  or  two,  some  good  wine,  and  a  supply  of 
white  bread  while  you  are  waiting  in  the  town." 

"Which  horse  shall  I  take,  sir?" 

"You  had  best  take  Robin;  he  is  the  faster  of  the  two, 
though  not  quite  so  strong  as  Victor." 

"I  understand,  monsieur,  and  will  carry  out  your  orders. 
If  there  be  a  place  within  twenty  miles,  or  within  forty  if 
lying  on  the  right  road,  where  the  young  lady  can  be  left  in 
safety,  rely  upon  it  I  will  hear  of  it,  for  there  is  nought  I 
would  not  do  rather  than  turn  back  at  the  outset  of  our  jour- 
ney, while  you  have  to  journey  on  with  only  Roger,  who  is 
a  stout  man-at-arms  enough,  but  would  be  of  little  use  if  you 
should  find  yourself  in  difficulties,  for  his  head  is  somewhat 
thick  and  his  wits  slow." 

Robin  had  already  finished  his  scanty  ration  of  food,  and 
when  Pierre  tightened  the  girths  before  mounting  looked 
round  in  mild  surprise  at  finding  himself  called  upon  to  start 
for  the  second  time  after  he  had  thought  that  his  work  was 
done. 

"You  shall  have  a  good  feed  at  St.  Amboise,"  Pierre  said, 
patting  its  neck,  "and  beyond  that  there  will  be  no  occasion, 
I  hope,  for  such  another  day's  work." 

After  seeing  Pierre  start  Philip  threw  himself  down  for  two 
hours'  sleep,  and  then  went  to  relieve  Eustace,  who  was  keep- 


274  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

ing  watch  at  the  edge  of  a  clump  of  trees.  As  soon  as  it  was 
broad  daylight  he  went  across  to  where  Claire  de  Valecourt 
was  lying  down  by  the  side  of  her  maid,  with  a  cloak  thrown 
over  them.  She  sat  up  at  once  as  his  step  approached. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  have  not  had  much  sleep,  mademoiselle." 

"No,  indeed,"  she  said,  "I  have  scarce  closed  my  eyes. 
It  will  be  long  before  I  shall  sleep  quietly.  That  terrible 
scene  of  last  night  will  be  before  my  eyes  for  a  long  time. 
Do  you  think  that  the  minister  escaped,  Monsieur  Fletcher?" 

"  I  fear  that  he  did  not.  I  saw  him  cut  down  by  the  fellow 
I  shot  just  before  he  turned  to  ride  at  you." 

"How  many  do  you  think  escaped?  " 

"  A  score  perhaps,  or  it  may  be  more.  Some  fled  at  once, 
others  I  noticed  make  off  as  we  rode  forward." 

"  Did  not  one  of  your  men  ride  off  last  night  soon  after  we 
lay  down?  " 

"Yes,  I  sent  off  my  servant."  And  he  told  her  the  mission 
upon  which  Pierre  had  been  despatched. 

"That  is  a  good  plan,"  she  said.  "I  would  much  rather 
hide  anywhere  than  that  you  should  go  forward  on  your  long 
journey  with  but  half  your  little  force.  Does  it  not  seem 
strange,  monsieur,  that  while  but  a  few  hours  ago  I  had  never 
so  much  as  heard  your  name,  now  I  owe  my  life  to  you,  and 
feel  that  I  have  to  trust  to  you  in  everything?  I.  am  quite 
surprised  now  I  look  at  you;  I  scarce  saw  your  face  last  night, 
and  only  noticed  as  I  sat  in  front  of  you  that  you  seemed  very 
big  and  strong;  and  as  you  talked  of  what  I  must  do,  just  as  if 
you  had  been  my  father,  I  have  been  thinking  of  you  as  a 
grave  man  like  him;  now  I  see  you  are  quite  young,  and  that 
you  don't  look  grave  at  all." 

Philip  laughed. 

"I  am  young,  and  not  very  grave,  mademoiselle;  I  am 
not  at  all  fit  to  be  the  protector  of  a  young  lady  like  yourself." 

"There  I  am  sure  you  are  wronging  yourself,  Monsieur 
Fletcher.  The  Admiral  would  never  have  sent  you  so  far  with 
important  despatches  had  he  not  full  confidence  that  you  were 
wise  as  well  as  brave.  And  you  said  you  were  a  chevalier 
too.  My  cousin  Antoine  looks  ever  so  much  older  than  you 
do,  and  he  has  not  been  knighted  yet.  I  know  young  gen- 


A   HUGUENOT   PRAYER-MEETING  275 

tlemen  are  not  made  knights  unless  they  have  done  something 
particularly  brave." 

Philip  smiled. 

"  I  did  not  do  anything  particularly  brave,  mademoiselle, 
but  what  I  did  do  happened  to  attract  the  Admiral's  atten- 
tion. Now  here  are  the  remains  of  a  cold  capon,  some  bread, 
and  wine.  You  and  your  attendant  had  better  eat  something 
while  we  are  saddling  the  horses  and  preparing  for  a  start." 

Four  hours  later  they  halted  three  miles  from  St.  Amboise, 
taking  refuge  in  a  wood  near  the  road  where  they  could  see 
Pierre  as  he  returned.  Half  an  hour  later  he  rode  up.  Philip 
went  down  the  road  to  meet  him. 

"Well,  Pierre,  what  success?" 

"  I  have  heard  of  a  place  where  I  think  Mademoiselle  de 
Valecourt  would  be  safe  for  the  present.  It  is  the  chateau  of 
Monsieur  de  Landres.  It  lies  some  five-and-twenty  miles 
away,  and  is  in  the  forest,  at  a  distance  from  any  town  or  large 
village.  It  is  a  small  place,  but  is  strong.  M.  de  Landres  is 
with  the  army  in  the  west,  but  he  has  only  taken  a  few  of  his 
men  with  him,  and  forty  they  say  have  been  left  to  guard  the 
tower.  As  most  of  the  Catholics  round  here  have  obeyed 
the  king's  summons,  and  are  either  with  the  royal  army  in  the 
west  or  with  the  two  dukes  at  Metz,  there  seems  no  chance  of 
any  attack  being  made  upon  Landres." 

"That  will  do  excellently,  Pierre.  No  doubt  the  lady 
will  be  happy  to  receive  Mademoiselle  de  Valecourt,  whose 
father  is  a  well-known  nobleman  and  at  present  in  the  same 
army  as  the  lady's  husband.  At  any  rate  we  will  try  that  to 
begin  with." 

They  started  without  delay,  and  riding  briskly  reached 
Landres  in  four  hours,  having  had  a  good  deal  of  difficulty  in 
finding  the  way.  As  soon  as  they  issued  from  the  forests  into 
a  cleared  space,  half  a  mile  across,  in  the  the  centre  of  which 
stood  the  fortalice,  a  horn  was  heard  to  sound  and  the  draw- 
bridge was  at  once  raised.  Philip  saw  with  satisfaction  that 
Pierre  had  not  been  misinformed.  The  castle  was  an  old  one 
and  had  not  been  modernized,  and  with  its  solid-looking  walls 
and  flanking  towers  was  capable  of  standing  a  siege.  Halt- 
ing the  others  when  half-way  across  to  the  tower,  he  rode  on 


276  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

alone.  As  he  approached  a  lady  appeared  on  the  battlements 
over  the  gate,  while  the  parapet  was  occupied  with  armed  men 
with  spears  and  cross-bows.  Philip  removed  his  cap. 

"Madame,"  he  said,  "I  am  a  soldier  belonging  to  the  army 
of  the  Prince  of  Navarre,  and  am  riding  on  the  business  of 
Admiral  Coligny.  On  my  way  hither  I  had  the  good  fortune 
to  save  a  Huguenot  congregation,  and  the  daughter  of  the 
Count  de  Valecourt,  from  massacre  by  the  people  of  La  Chatre. 
My  business  is  urgent,  and  I  am  unable  to  turn  back  to  con- 
duct her  to  her  father,  who  is  with  the  army  of  the  prince; 
hearing  that  you  are  of  the  reformed  religion,  I  have  ventured 
to  crave  your  protection  for  the  young  lady  until  I  can  return 
to  fetch  her,  or  can  notify  to  her  father  where  he  may  send 
for  her." 

"The  lady  is  welcome,"  Madame  de  Landres  said;  "in 
such  times  as  these  it  is  the  duty  of  all  of  our  religion  to  assist 
each  other,  and  the  daughter  of  the  Count  de  Valecourt,  whom 
I  know  by  reputation,  will  be  specially  welcomed." 

Bowing  to  the  lady  Philip  rode  back  to  his  party. 

"The  matter  is  settled,  mademoiselle;  the  chatelaine  will 
be  glad  to  receive  you." 

By  the  time  they  reached  the  castle  the  drawbridge  had  been 
lowered,  and  Madame  de  Landres  stood  at  the  gate  ready  to 
receive  her  guest.  As  Philip,  leaping  off,  lifted  the  girl  to 
the  ground,  the  lady  embraced  her  kindly. 

"  I  am  truly  glad  to  be  able  to  offer  you  a  shelter  for  a  time. 
You  are  young  indeed  to  be  abroad  without  a  natural  protector, 
for,  as  I  gather,  this  gentleman,  whose  name  I  have  not  yet 
learned,  rescued  you  by  chance  from  an  attack  by  the  Catho- 
lics." 

"  God  sent  him  to  my  succour  as  by  a  miracle, "  Claire  said 
simply.  "The  Chevalier  Fletcher  is  known  to  my  father. 
Had  he  arrived  but  one  minute  later  I  should  be  one  among 
seventy  or  eighty  who  are  now  lying  dead  in  a  wood  near  La 
Chatre.  My  father  had  a  chateau  close  by,  but  it  was  fired 
after  the  massacre." 

"  And  now,  mademoiselle,  with  your  permission  and  that  of 
Madame  de  Landres  we  will  ride  on  at  once.  We  must  do 
another  thirty  miles  before  sunset." 


PIERRE   LISTENS   AT   THE   OPEN   WINDOW   OF   THE   INN. 


A   HUGUENOT  PRAYER-MEETING  277 

Madame  de  Landres,  however,  insisted  on  Philip  and  his 
men  stopping  to  partake  of  a  meal  before  they  rode  on,  and 
although  they  had  breakfasted  heartily  four  hours  before  upon 
the  provisions  Pierre  had  brought  back  with  him  from  Am- 
boise,  their  ride  had  given  them  an  appetite,  and  Philip  did 
not  refuse  the  invitation.  Madame  de  Landres  expressed 
much  satisfaction  on  hearing  that  the  Huguenot  army  was 
likely  to  pass  somewhere  near  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
chateau  on  its  way  to  effect  a  junction  with  the  Due  de  Deux- 
Ponts,  and  promised  to  send  one  of  her  retainers  with  a  mes- 
sage to  the  count  that  his  daughter  was  in  her  keeping.  The 
meal  was  a  short  one,  and  Philip  after  a  halt  of  half  an  hour 
mounted  and  rode  on  again. 

"My  father  will  thank  you  when  you  meet  him,  Monsieur 
Fletcher;  as  for  me  I  cannot  tell  you  what  I  feel,  but  I  shall 
pray  for  you  always,  and  that  God  who  sent  you  to  my  aid  will 
watch  over  you  in  all  dangers,"  Claire  de  Valecourt  had  said 
as  she  bade  him  good-bye. 

They  halted  that  night  at  a  small  village,  and  as  Philip  was 
eating  his  supper  Pierre  came  in. 

"  I  think,  monsieur,  that  it  would  be  well  for  us  to  move  on 
for  a  few  miles  farther." 

"Why,  Pierre?  We  have  done  a  long  day's  journey,  and 
the  horses  had  but  a  short  rest  last  night." 

"  I  should  like  to  rest  just  as  well  as  the  horses,"  Pierre  said, 
"but  I  doubt  if  we  should  rest  well  here.  I  thought  when  we 
drew  bridle  that  the  landlord  eyed  us  curiously,  and  that  the 
men  who  sauntered  up  regarded  us  with  more  attention  than 
they  would  ordinary  travellers.  So  I  told  Eustace  and  Roger 
as  they  led  the  horses  to  the  stable  to  keep  the  saddles  on  for 
the  present,  and  I  slipped  away  round  to  the  back  of  the  house 
and  got  my  ear  close  to  the  open  window  of  the  kitchen.  I 
got  there  just  as  the  landlord  came  in  saying:  l These  are  the 
people,  wife,  that  we  were  told  of  three  hours  ago.  There 
are  the  same  number  of  men,  though  they  have  no  women  with 
them  as  I  was  told  might  be  the  case.  Their  leader  is  a  fine- 
looking  young  fellow,  and  I  am  sorry  for  him,  but  that  I  can't 
help.  I  was  told  that  if  they  came  here  I  was  to  send  off  a 
messenger  at  once  to  Nevers,  and  that  if  I  failed  to  do  so  my 


278  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

house  should  be  burnt  over  my  head,  and  I  should  be  hung 
from  the  tree  opposite  as  a  traitor  to  the  king.  Who  he  is  I 
don't  know,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  he  is  a  Huguenot,  and 
that  he  has  killed  two  nobles.  I  daresay  they  deserved  it  if 
they  were,  as  the  men  said,  engaged  in  what  they  call  the  good 
work  of  slaying  Huguenots,  which  is  a  kind  of  work  with  which 
I  do  not  hold.  But  that  is  no  business  of  mine;  I  am  not 
going  to  risk  my  life  in  the  matter.  Besides,  if  I  don't  send 
off  it  will  make  no  difference,  for  they  told  half-a-dozen  men 
before  they  started  that  they  would  give  a  gold  crown  to  the 
first  who  brought  them  news  of  the  party,  and  it  is  like  enough 
someone  has  slipped  off  already  to  earn  the  money.  So  I 
must  make  myself  safe  by  sending  off  Jacques  at  once.  The 
men  said  that  their  lords  had  powerful  friends  at  Nevers,  and 
I  am  not  going  to  embroil  myself  with  them  for  the  sake  of  a 
stranger. ' 

"'We  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  Huguenots  one  way  or 
other,'  the  woman  said;  'there  are  no  Huguenots  in  this  vil- 
lage, and  it  is  nothing  to  us  what  they  do  in  other  parts.  Send 
off  Jacques  if  you  like,  and  perhaps  it  will  be  best,  but  I  don't 
want  any  fighting  or  bloodshed  here. ' 

"I  slipped  away  then,"  continued  Pierre,  "as  I  thought  the 
landlord  would  be  coming  out  to  look  for  this  Jacques;  if  it 
had  not  been  for  what  he  said  about  the  reward  offered,  and 
the  likelihood  that  others  would  already  have  started  with  the 
news,  I  should  have  watched  for  the  man  and  followed  him 
when  he  started;  I  don't  think  he  would  have  carried  his 
message  far.  As  it  was  I  thought  it  best  to  let  you  know  at 
once,  so  that  we  could  slip  out  of  this  trap  in  time." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE   BATTLE   OF   MONCONTOUR 

WHEN  Pierre  left  him  in  order  to  look  after  the  horses, 
Philip  continued  his  meal.  There  could  be  no  hurry, 
for  Nevers  was  twelve  miles  away,  and  it  would  be  four  hours 
at  least  before  a  party  could  arrive.  The  landlady  herself 
brought  in  the  next  course.  After  placing  the  dish  upon  the 
table  she  stood  looking  earnestly  at  him  for  a  minute  and  then 
said:  "You  spoke  of  stopping  here  to-night,  sir;  the  accom- 
modation is  very  poor,  and  if  you  will  take  my  advice  you  will 
ride  farther.  There  have  been  some  men  along  here  this 
afternoon  inquiring  for  a  party  like  yours,  and  offering  a 
reward  to  any  who  would  carry  the  news  to  them  should  you 
pass  through.  Methinks  their  intentions  were  not  friendly." 

"I  thank  you  very  much  for  your  counsel,"  Philip  said, 
"and  will  take  it.  I  know  that  there  are  some  who  would 
gladly  hinder  me  in  my  journey,  and  if  there  is,  as  you  say,  a 
risk  of  there  coming  here  for  me,  it  were  as  well  that  I  rode 
farther,  although  I  would  gladly  have  given  my  horses  a  night's 
rest.  I  thank  you  warmly  for  having  warned  me." 

"Do  not  let  my  husband  know  that  I  have  spoken  to  you," 
she  said;  "he  is  an  honest  man  but  timid,  and  in  these  days 
'tis  safest  not  to  meddle  with  what  does  not  concern  one." 

Philip  waited  for  two  hours,  and  then  told  Pierre  to  saddle 
the  horses  and  tell  the  landlord  that  he  wished  to  speak  to  him. 

"I  have  changed  my  mind,  landlord,"  he  said,  "and  shall 
ride  forward.  The  horses  will  have  rested  now,  and  can  very 
well  do  another  fifteen  miles,  so  let  me  have  your  reckoning. 

.  279 


280  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

You  can  charge  for  my  bed-room,  as  doubtless  it  has  been  put 
in  order  for  me." 

Philip  saw  that  the  landlord  looked  pleased  though  he  said 
nothing,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  horses  were  brought  round, 
the  bill  paid,  and  they  started.  They  struck  off  from  the  road 
three  or  four  miles  farther,  and  halted  in  a  wood  which  they 
reached  after  half  an  hour's  riding.  The  grain  bags  had  been 
filled  up  again  at  the  inn,  but  as  the  horses  had  eaten  their  fill 
these  were  not  opened;  and  after  loosening  the  girths  and 
arranging  the  order  in  which  they  should  keep  watch  the  party 
threw  themselves  on  the  ground.  Two  hours  after  their  arrival 
Eustace,  who  was  on  watch,  heard  the  distant  sounds  of  a  body 
of  horsemen  galloping  along  the  main  road  in  the  direction  of 
the  village  they  had  left. 

In  the  morning  at  daybreak  they  started  again,  directing 
their  way  to  the  south-west  and  following  the  course  of  the 
Loire,  which  they  crossed  at  Estre"e,  and  so  entered  Burgundy. 
Crossing  the  great  line  of  hills  they  came  down  on  the  Saone, 
which  they  crossed  at  a  ferry  fifteen  miles  below  Dijon.  They 
here  obtained  news  of  the  position  of  the  Due  de  Deux-Ponts, 
and  finally  rode  into  his  camp  near  Vesoul.  They  had  been 
fortunate  in  avoiding  all  questioning,  it  being  generally 
assumed,  from  their  travelling  without  baggage,  that  they 
belonged  to  the  neighbourhood. 

Riding  into  the  camp  they  were  not  long  in  discovering  an 
officer  who  spoke  French,  and  upon  Philip  saying  that  he  was 
the  bearer  of  despatches  for  the  Due  from  Admiral  Coligny  he 
was  at  once  conducted  to  his  pavilion.  He  had,  when  the 
camp  was  in  sight  and  all  dangers  at  an  end,  taken  his 
despatches  from  his  boots,  and  these  he  at  once  presented  to 
the  duke,  who  came  to  the  door  of  his  tent  on  hearing  that  a 
gentleman  had  arrived  with  letters  from  Coligny  himself. 

"I  am  glad  to  get  some  news  direct  at  last,"  the  Due  said, 
"  for  I  have  heard  so  many  rumours  since  I  crossed  the  frontier 
that  I  know  not  whether  the  Admiral  is  a  fugitive  or  at  the 
head  of  a  great  army.  Which  is  nearest  the  truth?  " 

"The  latter  assuredly,  sir.  The  Admiral  is  at  the  head  of 
as  large  a  body  of  men  as  that  with  which  he  offered  battle  to 
the  Due  d'Anjou  when  winter  first  set  in." 


THE   BATTLE   OF    MONCONTOUR  281 

"Come  in,  monsieur,  and  sit  down  while  I  read  the 
despatches.  How  many  days  have  you  taken  in  traversing 
France?" 

"It  is  the  tenth  day  since  I  left  La  Rochelle,  sir." 

"And  have  you  ridden  the  same  horses  the  whole  way? " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Then  they  must  be  good  beasts,  for  you  must  have  done 
over  forty  miles  a  day." 

"We  carried  no  baggage,  sir,  and,  as  you  see,  no  armour, 
and  we  have  husbanded  our  horses'  strength  to  the  best  of  our 
power." 

The  duke  sat  down  and  read  the  papers  of  which  Philip  was 
the  bearer. 

"  The  Admiral  speaks  very  highly  of  you,  sir,  both  as  regards 
discretion  and  bravery,  and  mentions  that  he  knighted  you 
himself  for  your  conduct  in  the  battle  of  Jarnac.  He  need 
not  have  said  so  much,  for  the  fact  that  he  chose  you  to  carry 
these  despatches  is  the  highest  proof  of  his  confidence.  And 
now  tell  me  all  particulars  of  your  journey,  and  what  news  you 
have  gathered  on  your  way  as  to  the  movement  and  positions 
of  the  forces  of  the  royal  dukes.  This  will  supplement  the 
Admiral's  despatches." 

Philip  gave  a  full  report  of  his  route,  of  the  state  of  the 
roads,  the  number  of  cattle  in  the  country  through  which  he 
had  passed,  the  accounts  he  had  heard  of  the  forces  assembled 
in  the  cities,  and  the  preparations  that  had  been  made  to  guard 
the  passages  across  the  rivers  of  Burgundy. 

"I  will  travel  by  the  route  that  the  Admiral  indicates,  so 
far  as  I  can  do  so  undisturbed  by  the  armies  of  the  two  French 
dukes.  I  have  with  me  some  good  guides,  as  many  French 
gentlemen  joined  me  not  long  since  with  the  Prince  of  Orange. 
I  had  already  decided,  by  their  advice,  upon  following  nearly 
the  route  commended  by  the  Admiral.  I  trust  that  you,  sir, 
will  ride  among  my  friends,  to  whom  I  will  introduce  you  this 
evening  at  supper." 

The  Due's  army  amounted  to  some  fifteen  thousand  men,  of 
whom  seven  thousand  five  hundred  were  horsemen  from  the 
states  of  Lower  Germany,  and  six  thousand  infantry  from 
Upper  Germany,  the  remaining  fifteen  hundred  being  French 


282  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

and  Flemish  gentlemen,  who  had  joined  him  with  the  Prince 
of  Orange.  The  armies  under  the  French  dukes  were  together 
considerably  superior  in  force  to  that  of  Deux- Fonts,  but  singly 
they  were  not  strong  enough  to  attack  him,  and  the  mutual 
jealousies  of  their  commanders  prevented  their  acting  in  con- 
cert. Consequently  the  German  force  moved  across  Comt£, 
and  on  to  Autun  in  the  west  of  Burgundy,  without  meeting 
with  any  opposition.  Then  they  marched  rapidly  down.  The 
bridges  upon  the  Loire  were  all  held,  but  one  of  the  French 
officers  who  knew  the  country  discovered  a  ford  by  which  a 
portion  of  the  army  crossed.  The  main  body,  laid  siege  to 
the  town  of  La  Charite",  and  compelled  it  to  surrender,  thus 
gaining  a  bridge  by  which  they  crossed  the  Loire. 

As  the  enemy  were  now  in  great  force  in  front  of  them  they 
turned  to  the  south-west,  several  messengers  being  sent  off  to 
appoint  a  fresh  meeting-place  with  Coligny ;  and  skirting  the 
hills  of  Bourbonais,  Auvergne,  and  Limousin,  they  at  last 
arrived  within  a  day's  march  of  Limoges,  the  journey  of  five 
hundred  miles  through  a  hostile  country  being  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  in  military  history.  That  evening  Admiral  Coligny 
and  his  staff  rode  into  camp,  having  arrived  with  his  army  at 
Limoges.  The  Due  had  been  for  some  time  suffering  from 
fever,  and  had  for  the  last  week  been  carried  in  a  litter,  being 
unable  to  sit  his  horse.  He  was,  when  the  Admiral  arrived, 
unconscious,  and  died  the  next  morning,  being  succeeded  in 
his  command  by  the  Count  of  Mansfeldt.  Next  day  the  two 
armies  joined  with  great  demonstrations  of  joy. 

The  Due  d'Anjou  had  been  closely  watching  the  army  of 
Coligny,  his  army  being  somewhat  superior  in  force  to  that  of 
the  allies,  who  now  numbered  some  twenty-five  thousand,  for 
the  duke  had  been  recently  reinforced  by  five  thousand  papal 
troops,  and  twelve  hundred  Florentines.  A  part  of  his  force 
under  General  Strozzi  was  at  La  Roche  Abeille.  They  were 
attacked  by  the  Huguenots.  Four  hundred  Royalists  were 
killed  and  many  taken  prisoners,  among  them  their  general. 
There  was  for  a  time  a  pause.  The  court  entered  into  fresh 
negotiations  with  the  Admiral,  being  anxious  to  delay  his 
operations,  as  many  of  the  nobles  who  were  with  the  Due 
d'Anjou,  wearied  by  the  burdens  imposed  upon  them,  insisted 
upon  returning  for  a  time  to  their  homes. 


THE   BATTLE   OF   MONCONTOUR  283 

The  Huguenots  were  above  all  things  anxious  for  peace,  and 
allowed  themselves  to  be  detained  for  nearly  a  month  by  these 
negotiations.  On  the  march  down  after  the  capture  of  La 
Charite",  the  German  force  had  passed  within  a  few  miles  of 
the  Chateau  de  Landres,  and  Philip  rode  over  to  see  whether 
Claire  was  still  there.  She  received  him  with  the  frank 
pleasure  of  a  girl. 

"We  have  heard  very  little  of  what  is  going  on  outside, 
Monsieur  Fletcher,"  Madame  de  Landres  said,  after  the  first 
greetings  were  over,  "  though  the  air  has  been  full  of  rumours. 
Again  and  again  reports  were  brought  in  that  the  duke's  army 
had  been  entirely  destroyed  by  the  Royalist  forces.  Then 
after  a  day  or  two  we  heard  of  it  as  still  advancing,  but  in 
danger  hourly  of  being  destroyed.  Then  came  the  news  that 
every  town  commanding  a  bridge  across  the  Loire  was  being 
put  in  a  state  of  defence,  and  strong  bodies  of  troops  thrown 
into  them,  and  we  heard  that  as  soon  as  the  Germans  reached 
the  river,  and  farther  advance  was  impossible,  they  would  be 
attacked  by  the  armies  of  Nemours  and  Aumale.  But  by  this 
time  we  had  become  so  accustomed  to  these  tales  that  we  were 
not  much  alarmed.  We  were,  however,  surprised  when  we 
heard  that  a  strong  body  of  the  Germans  had  forded  the  river, 
and  had  blockaded  La  Charite"  on  this  side  while  it  had  been 
besieged  on  the  other.  I  hear  that  a  strong  garrison  has  been 
left  there." 

"  Yes,  madame,  the  place  is  of  great  importance,  as  it  gives 
us  a  means  of  crossing  the  Loire  at  any  time.  We  find,  too, 
that  a  large  part  of  the  population  are  Huguenot,  and  the 
place  will  certainly  be  held  against  any  attack  the  Royalists 
may  make  against  us." 

"The  news  will  be  received  with  joy,  indeed,  by  all  of  our 
religion  in  this  part  of  France.  Hitherto  we  have  had  no 
place  of  refuge  whatever.  There  was  but  the  choice  of  dying 
in  our  own  houses  or  villages,  or  taking  refuge  in  the  woods 
until  hunted  down.  It  will  be  to  us  what  La  Rochelle  is  to 
the  Huguenots  of  the  west.  Besides,  the  garrison  there  will 
make  the  Catholics  very  chary  of  attacking  us.  Moreover, 
having  now  this  passage  across  the  Loire  it  is  likely  that  our 
party  will  largely  use  it  on  their  marches,  and  would  be  able 


284  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

to  punish  heavily  any  places  at  which  there  had  been  massa- 
cres. It  is  by  this  way,  too,  the  Germans  are  sure  to  return, 
therefore  I  feel  that  for  a  time  my  young  charge  will  be  per- 
fectly safe  here.  I  sent  off  a  messenger  to  our  army  on  the 
day  you  left  us,  but  have  had  no  reply,  and  know  not  whether 
he  reached  it  in  safety.  At  any  rate  you  cannot  be  very  long 
before  your  force  joins  the  Admiral,  and  as  we  felt  quite  sure 
that  you  would  come  to  see  us  as  you  passed,  we  have  our 
letters  ready  to  my  husband  and  the  Count  de  Valecourt.  You 
will,  I  am  sure,  deliver  them  as  soon  as  you  join  the  Admiral." 

"That  I  will  assuredly  do,  madame.  I  expect  that  we  shall 
meet  him  near  Limoges,  that  is  the  direction  in  which  we  are 
now  marching." 

The  Count  de  Valecourt  was  one  of  the  gentlemen  who  rode 
into  the  Due  de  Deux-Ponts'  camp  with  the  Admiral,  and  as 
soon  as  they  dismounted,  and  Coligny  entered  the  tent  of  the 
dying  general,  Philip  made  his  way  to  his  side. 

"  Ah !  Monsieur  Fletcher,  I  am  glad  to  see  you  again.  You 
accomplished,  then,  your  journey  in  safety.  The  Prince  of 
Navarre  often  spoke  of  you  and  wondered  how  you  were 
faring." 

"  I  did  very  well,  sir,  but  I  have  not  thrust  myself  upon  you 
at  the  moment  of  your  arrival  to  speak  of  my  own  journey,  but 
to  deliver  you  a  letter  which  I  have  the  honour  of  being  the 
bearer  from  your  daughter." 

The  count  stepped  backwards  a  pace  with  a  cry  of  astonish- 
ment and  pleasure.  "  From  my  daughter !  Is  it  possible,  sir? 
How  long  is  it  since  you  saw  her?  " 

"It  is  nigh  three  weeks  back,  sir." 

"The  Lord  be  praised!"  the  count  said  solemnly,  taking 
off  his  cap  and  looking  upwards.  "  He  has  shown  me  many 
mercies,  but  this  is  the  greatest.  For  the  last  two  months  I 
have  mourned  her  as  dead.  News  was  brought  to  me  by  one 
of  my  retainers  that  she  was  with  a  congregation  who  were 
attacked  by  the  people  of  La  Chatre,  and  that  all  had  been 
massacred.  My  chateau  near  there  was  attacked  and  burnt, 
and  those  of  the  men  who  were  Huguenots  slain,  save  the  one 
who  brought  me  the  news." 

"You  will  see,  sir,  that  your  daughter  escaped,"  Philip  said, 


THE   BATTLE   OF   MONCONTOUR  285 

handing  him  the  letter.  "  She  is  now  in  the  safe  custody  of 
Madame  de  Landres." 

The  count  tore  open  the  letter,  and  he  had  read  but  a  few 
lines  when  he  uttered  an  exclamation  of  surprise,  and  turning 
towards  Philip,  who  had  moved  a  few  paces  away,  ran  to  him 
and  threw  his  arms  round  his  neck. 

"  It  is  you  who  have,  with  God's  blessing,  rescued  my  daugh- 
ter from  death,  "he  exclaimed.  "She  is  my  only  child.  Ah, 
monsieur,  what  joy  have  you  brought  to  me,  what  thankful- 
ness do  I  feel,  how  deeply  am  I  indebted  to  you!  I  had 
thought  that  there  remained  to  me  but  to  do  my  duty  to  God 
and  His  cause,  and  then  if  I  lived  to  see  the  end  of  the  war, 
to  live  out  my  days  a  childless  old  man.  Now  I  seem  to  live 
again.  Claire  is  alive;  I  have  still  something  to  love  and 
care  for.  I  will  first  run  through  the  rest  of  the  letter,  and 
then  you  shall  tell  me  in  full  all  the  story.  But  which  is  your 
tent?  Pray  take  me  there.  I  would  be  alone  a  little  while 
to  thank  God  for  this  great  mercy." 

Half  an  hour  later  the  count  reappeared  at  the  entrance  of 
the  tent.  Pierre  had  wine  and  refreshments  ready,  and  plac- 
ing them  on  a  box  that  served  as  a  table  retired,  leaving  his 
master  and  the  count  together. 

"Now,  tell  me  all  about  it,"  the  count  said;  "Claire's  de- 
scription is  a  very  vague  one,  and  she  bids  me  get  all  the 
details  from  you.  She  only  knows  that  a  man  on  horseback 
rode  at  her  with  uplifted  sword.  She  commended  her  soul 
to  God,  and  stood  expecting  the  blow,  when  there  was  a  pistol- 
shot  close  to  her  and  the  man  fell  from  his  horse.  Then  an- 
other dashed  forward,  while  you  on  horseback  threw  yourself 
between  her  and  him.  There  was  a  terrible  clashing  of 
swords,  and  then  he  too  fell.  Then  you  lifted  her  on  to 
your  horse,  and  for  a  short  time  there  was  a  whirl  of  conflict. 
Then  you  rode  off  with  three  men,  behind  one  of  whom  her 
maid  Annette  was  sitting.  That  is  all  she  knows  of  it  except 
what  you  told  her  yourself." 

"  That  is  nearly  all  there  is  to  know,  count.  The  fray  lasted 
but  two  minutes  in  all,  and  my  being  upon  the  spot  was  due 
to  no  forethought  of  mine,  but  was  of  the  nature  of  a  pure 
accident." 


286  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"  Nay,  sir,  you  should  not  say  that ;  you  were  led  there  by 
the  hand  of  God.  But  tell  me  how  you  came  to  be  in  the 
wood,  and  pray  omit  nothing." 

Philip  related  the  whole  story,  from  the  time  of  the  inci- 
dent at  the  inn  to  the  time  when  he  handed  over  Claire  to  the 
care  of  Madame  de  Landres. 

"It  was  well  done,  sir,"  the  count  said,  laying  his  hand 
affectionately  on  his  shoulder  when  he  concluded.  "The 
young  prince  said  you  would  have  a  story  to  tell  him  when 
you  came  back,  but  I  little  dreamt  that  it  would  be  one  in 
which  I  had  such  interest.  Well,  Claire  cannot  do  better 
than  remain  where  she  is  for  the  present,  until  at  any  rate  I 
can  remove  her  to  La  Rochelle,  which  is  the  only  place  where 
she  can  be  said  to  be  absolutely  safe;  but  so  long  as  we  hold 
La  Charite*  there  is,  as  you  say,  but  slight  fear  of  any  fresh 
trouble  there.  From  all  other  parts  of  France  we  hear  the 
same  tales  of  cruel  massacre  and  executions  by  fire  and 
sword." 

Frangois  de  Laville  was  not  with  Coligny's  army,  as  he  was 
with  the  Prince  of  Navarre,  who  had  remained  near  La 
Rochelle,  but  he  was  very  pleased  to  find  the  Count  de  la  Notie, 
who  had  just  rejoined  the  army,  having  been  exchanged  for  a 
Royalist  officer  of  rank  who  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
Huguenots. 

"  You  have  been  doing  great  things  while  I  have  been  lying 
in  prison,  Philip,"  the  count  said  warmly.  "I  hear  that  the 
Admiral  has  made  you  and  my  cousin  knights,  and  more  than 
that,  I  heard  half  an  hour  since  from  De  Valecourt  that  while 
carrying  despatches  to  the  Germans  you  had  time  to  do  a  little 
knight-errant' s  work,  and  had  the  good  fortune  to  save  his 
daughter  from  being  massacred  by  the  Catholics.  By  my 
faith,  chevalier,  there  is  no  saying  what  you  will  come  to  if 
you  go  on  thus." 

"I  don't  want  to  come  to  anything,  count,"  Philip  said 
laughing.  "  I  came  over  here  to  fight  for  the  Huguenot  cause, 
and  with  no  thought  of  gaining  anything  for  myself.  I  am, 
of  course,  greatly  pleased  to  receive  the  honour  of  knight- 
hood, and  that  at  the  hands  of  so  great  and  noble  a  general  as 
Admiral  Coligny.  I  have  been  singularly  fortunate,  but  I 


THE   BATTLE   OF   MONCONTOUR  287 

owe  my  good  fortune  in  no  small  degree  to  you,  for  I  could 
have  had  no  better  introduction  than  to  ride  in  your  train." 

"You  deserve  all  the  credit  you  have  obtained,  Philip. 
You  have  grasped  every  opportunity  that  was  presented  to  you, 
and  have  always  acquitted  yourself  well.  A  young  man  does 
not  gain  the  esteem  and  approval  of  a  Coligny,  the  gratitude 
of  a  Valecourt,  and  the  liking  of  all  who  know  him,  includ- 
ing the  Queen  of  Navarre  and  her  son,  unless  by  unusual 
merit.  I  am  proud  of  you  as  a  connection,  though  distant, 
of  my  own,  and  I  sincerely  trust  you  will,  at  the  end  of  this 
sad  business,  return  home  to  your  friends  none  the  worse  for 
the  perils  you  have  gone  through." 

At  the  end  of  a  month  the  negotiations  were  broken  off,  for 
the  court  had  no  real  intention  of  granting  any  concessions. 
The  Huguenots  again  commenced  hostilities.  Two  or  three 
strong  fortresses  were  captured,  and  a  force  despatched  south 
under  Count  Montgomery,  who  joined  the  army  of  the  Vis- 
counts, expelled  the  Royalists  from  Be"arn,  and  restored  it  to 
the  Queen  of  Navarre.  There  was  a  considerable  division 
among  the  Huguenot  leaders  as  to  the  best  course  to  be  taken. 
The  Admiral  was  in  favour  of  marching  north  and  besieging 
Saumur,  which  would  give  them  a  free  passage  across  the  lower 
Loire  to  the  north  of  France,  as  the  possession  of  La  Charite" 
kept  open  for  them  a  road  to  the  west;  but  the  majority  of 
the  leaders  were  in  favour  of  besieging  Poitiers,  one  of  the 
richest  and  most  important  cities  in  France. 

Unfortunately  their  opinion  prevailed,  and  they  marched 
against  Poitiers,  of  which  the  Count  de  Lude  was  the  gov- 
ernor. Before  they  arrived  there  Henry,  Duke  of  Guise,  with 
his  brother  the  Duke  of  Mayenne,  and  other  officers,  threw 
themselves  into  the  town.  A  desperate  defence  was  made, 
and  every  assault  by  the  Huguenots  was  repulsed  with  great 
loss.  A  dam  was  thrown  across  a  small  river  by  the  be- 
sieged, and  its  swollen  waters  inundated  the  Huguenot  camp, 
and  their  losses  at  the  breaches  were  greatly  augmented  by  the 
ravages  of  disease.  After  the  siege  had  lasted  for  seven  weeks 
the  Due  d'Anjou  laid  siege  to  Chatelherault,  which  the  Hugue- 
nots had  lately  captured,  and  Coligny  raised  the  siege,  which 
had  cost  him  two  thousand  men,  and  marched  to  its  assistance. 


288  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

The  disaster  at  Poitiers  was  balanced  to  a  certain  extent  by 
a  similar  repulse  which  a  force  of  seven  thousand  Catholics 
had  sustained  at  La  Charite",  which  for  four  weeks  successfully 
repelled  every  assault,  the  assailants  being  obliged  at  last  to 
draw  off  from  the  place.  In  Paris  and  other  places  the  mur- 
ders of  Huguenots  were  of  constant  occurrence,  and  at  Or- 
leans two  hundred  and  eighty  who  had  been  thrown  into 
prison  were  massacred  in  a  single  day.  The  Parliament  of 
Paris  rendered  itself  infamous  by  trying  the  Admiral  in  his 
absence  for  treason,  hanging  him  in  effigy,  and  offering  a 
reward  of  fifty  thousand  gold  crowns  to  anyone  who  should 
murder  him. 

But  a  serious  battle  was  now  on  the  eve  of  being  fought. 
The  Due  d'Anjou  had  been  largely  reinforced,  and  his  army 
amounted  to  nine  thousand  cavalry  and  eighteen  thousand 
infantry,  while  Coligny's  army  had  been  weakened  by  his 
losses  at  Poitiers,  and  by  the  retirement  of  many  of  the  nobles 
whose  resources  could  no  longer  bear  the  expense  of  keeping 
their  retainers  in  the  field.  He  had  now  only  some  eleven 
thousand  foot  and  six  thousand  horse.  He  was  therefore 
anxious  to  avoid  a  battle  until  joined  by  Montgomery,  with 
the  six  thousand  troops  he  had  with  him  at  Be"arn.  His 
troops  from  the  south,  however,  were  impatient  at  the  long 
inaction  and  anxious  to  return  home,  while  the  Germans 
threatened  to  desert  unless  they  were  either  paid  or  led  against 
the  enemy.  La  Noiie,  who  commanded  the  advance-guard, 
had  captured  the  town  of  Moncontour,  and  the  Admiral,  ad- 
vancing in  that  direction,  and  ignorant  that  the  enemy  were 
in  the  neighbourhood,  moved  towards  the  town. 

When  on  the  march  the  rear  was  attacked  by  a  heavy  body 
of  the  enemy.  De  Mouy,  who  commanded  there,  held  them 
at  bay  until  the  rest  of  the  Huguenot  army  gained  the  other 
side  of  a  marsh  through  which  they  were  passing,  and  entered 
the  town  in  safety.  The  Admiral  would  now  have  retreated, 
seeing  that  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy  were  in  front  of  him, 
but  the  Germans  again  mutinied,  and  the  delay  before  they 
could  be  pacified  enabled  the  French  army  to  make  a  detour 
and  overtake  the  Huguenots  soon  after  they  left  Moncontour. 
The  Admiral,  who  commanded  the  left  wing  of  the  army, 


THE   BATTLE   OF  MONCONTOUR  289 

Count  Louis  of  Nassau  commanding  the  right,  first  met  them, 
and  his  cavalry  charged  that  of  the  Catholics,  which  was  com- 
manded by  the  German  Rhinegrave.  The  latter  rode  well  in 
advance  of  his  men,  while  Coligny  was  equally  in  front  of  the 
Protestants.  The  two  leaders  therefore  met.  The  conflict 
was  a  short  one.  Coligny  was  severely  wounded  in  the  face 
and  the  Rhinegrave  was  killed. 

While  the  cavalry  on  both  sides  fought  desperately  for  vic- 
tory, the  infantry  was  speedily  engaged.  The  combat  between 
the  Huguenot  foot  and  the  Swiss  infantry  in  the  Royalist 
ranks  was  long  and  doubtful.  The  Due  d'Anjou  displayed 
great  courage  in  the  fight,  while  on  the  other  side  the  Princes 
of  Navarre  and  Cond£,  who  "had  that  morning  joined  the 
army  from  Parthenay,  fought  bravely  in  the  front  of  the 
Huguenots.  The  Catholic  line  began  to  give  way,  in  spite 
of  their  superiority  in  numbers,  when  Marshal  Cosse"  advanced 
with  fresh  troops  into  the  battle,  and  the  Huguenots  in  turn 
were  driven  back.  The  German  cavalry  of  the  Huguenots, 
in  spite  of  the  valour  of  their  leader  Louis  of  Nassau,  were 
seized  with  a  panic  and  fled  from  the  field,  shattering  on  their 
way  the  ranks  of  the  German  infantry. 

Before  the  latter  could  recover  their  order  the  Swiss  infantry 
poured  in  among  them.  Many  threw  down  their  arms  and 
shouted  for  quarter,  while  others  defended  themselves  until 
the  last;  but  neither  submission  nor  defence  availed,  and 
out  of  the  four  thousand  German  infantry  but  two  hundred 
escaped.  Three  thousand  of  the  Huguenot  infantry  wiere  cut 
off  by  Anjou's  cavalry;  a  thousand  were  killed,  and  the  rest 
spared  at  the  Due's  command.  In  all  two  thousand  Hugue- 
not infantry  and  three  hundred  knights  perished  on  the  field, 
besides  the  German  infantry,  while  on  the  Catholic  side  the 
loss  was  but  a  little  over  five  hundred  men. 

La  Noiie  was  again  among  those  taken  prisoner.  Before 
the  battle  began  he  had  requested  Philip  to  join  his  cousin, 
who  had  come  up  with  the  princes,  and  to  attach  himself  to 
their  body-guard  during  the  battle.  They  kept  close  to  the 
princes  during  the  fight,  riding  far  enough  back  for  them  to 
be  seen  by  the  Huguenots,  and  closing  round  when  the 
enemy  poured  down  upon  them.  When  the  German  horse- 


290  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

men  fled  and  the  infantry  were  enveloped  by  the  Catholics, 
they  led  Henri  and  Conde  from  the  field,  charging  right 
through  a  body  of  Catholic  horse  who  had  swept  round  to  the 
rear,  and  carrying  them  off  to  Parthenay. 

Here  they  found  the  Admiral,  who  had  been  borne  off  the 
field  grievously  wounded.  For  a  moment  the  lion-hearted 
general  had  felt  despondency  at  the  crushing  defeat,  being 
sorely  wounded  and  weakened  by  loss  of  blood,  but  as  he  was 
carried  off  the  field  his  litter  came  alongside  one  in  which 
L' Estrange,  a  Huguenot  gentleman,  also  sorely  wounded,  was 
being  borne.  Doubtless  the  Admiral's  face  expressed  the 
deep  depression  of  his  spirit,  and  L' Estrange,  holding  out  his 
hand  to  him,  said,  "Yet  is  God  very  gentle."  The  words 
were  an  echo  of  those  which  formed  the  mainspring  of  the 
Admiral's  life.  His  face  lit  up,  and  he  exclaimed,  "Thanks, 
comrade;  truly  God  is  merciful,  and  we  will  trust  him  always." 
He  was  much  pleased  when  the  two  young  princes,  both  un- 
hurt, rejoined  him.  He  issued  orders  to  his  officers  to  rally 
their  troops  as  they  came  in,  to  evacuate  Parthenay,  and  march 
at  once  to  Niort. 

The  gallant  De  Mouy  was  appointed  to  command  the  city, 
and  three  or  four  days  were  spent  there  in  rallying  the  remains 
of  the  army.  Scarce  had  they  reached  Niort  when  the  Queen 
of  Navarre  arrived  from  La  Rochelle,  whence  she  had  has- 
tened as  soon  as  she  had  heard  the  news  of  the  defeat.  The 
presence  of  this  heroic  woman  speedily  dispelled  the  despon- 
dency among  the  Huguenots.  Going  about  among  them,  and 
addressing  the  groups  of  officers  and  soldiers,  she  communi- 
cated to  them  her  own  fire  and  enthusiasm.  Nothing  was  lost 
yet,  she  said;  tne  Germans  had  failed  them,  but  their  own 
valour  had  been  conspicuous,  and  with  the  blessing  of  God 
matters  would  soon  be  restored.  Already  the  delay  of  the 
Catholics  in  following  up  their  victory  had  given  them  time 
to  rally,  and  they  were  now  in  a  position  to  give  battle  again. 

Leaving  a  strong  garrison  at  Niort  Coligny  moved  with  a 
portion  of  his  army  to  Saintes,  while  the  southern  troops 
from  Dauphine"  and  Provence  marched  to  Angouleme.  These 
troops  were  always  difficult  to  retain  long  in  the  field,  as  they 
were  anxious  for  the  safety  of  their  friends  at  home.  They 


THE   BATTLE   OF   MONCONTOUR  291 

now  clamoured  for  permission  to  depart,  urging  that  the  news 
of  the  defeat  of  Moncontour  would  be  the  signal  for  fresh  per- 
secutions and  massacres  in  the  south.  Finally  they  marched 
away  without  Coligny 's  permission,  and  atfer  some  fighting 
reached  Dauphine"  in  safety. 

In  the  meantime  Niort  had  been  attacked.  De  Mouy  de- 
fended the  place  stoutly,  and  sallied  out  and  repulsed  the 
enemy.  His  bravery,  however,  was  fatal  to  him.  A  Catholic 
named  Maurevel,  tempted  by  the  fifty  thousand  crowns  that  had 
been  offered  for  the  assassination  of  Coligny,  had  entered  the 
Protestant  camp,  pretending  that  he  had  been  badly  treated 
by  the  Guises.  No  opportunity  for  carrying  out  his  design 
against  the  Admiral  presented  itself,  and  he  remained  at  Niort 
with  De  Mouy,  who,  believing  his  protestations  of  attachment 
for  the  cause,  had  treated  him  with  great  friendship.  As  the 
Huguenots  were  returning  after  their  successful  sortie  he  was 
riding  in  the  rear  with  De  Mouy,  and,  seizing  his  opportu- 
nity, he  drew  a  pistol  and  shot  the  Huguenot  leader,  mortally 
wounding  him.  He  then  galloped  off  and  rejoined  the  Cath- 
olics, and  was  rewarded  for  the  treacherous  murder  by  receiv- 
ing from  the  king  the  order  of  St.  Michael,  and  a  money 
reward  from  the  city  of  Paris. 

The  garrison  of  Niort,  disheartened  at  the  death  of  their 
leader,  surrendered  shortly  after.  Several  other  strong  places 
fell,  and  all  the  conquests  the  Protestants  had  made  were 
wrested  from  their  hands.  The  battle  of  Moncontour  was 
fought  on  October  3d,  on  the  i4th  the  southern  troops  marched 
away,  and  four  days  later  Coligny  with  the  remains  of  the 
army  started  from  Saintes.  He  had  with  him  but  six  thou- 
sand men,  of  whom  three  thousand  were  cavalry.  His  plan 
was  an  extremely  bold  one.  In  the  first  place  he  wished  to 
obtain  money  to  pay  the  German  horsemen  by  the  capture  of 
some  of  the  rich  Catholic  cities  in  Guyenne,  to  form  a  junc- 
tion with  the  army  of  Montgomery,  then  to  march  across  to 
the  Rhone,  and  there  to  meet  the  forces  of  the  south,  which 
would  by  that  time  be  ready  to  take  the  field  again;  then  to 
march  north  to  Lorraine,  there  to  gather  in  the  Germans  whom 
William  of  Orange  would  have  collected  to  meet  him;  and 
then  to  march  upon  Paris,  and  to  end  the  war  by  giving  battle 


292  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

under  its  walls.  The  Queen  of  Navarre  was  to  remain  in  La 
Rochelle,  which  city  was  placed  under  the  command  of  La 
Rochefoucault,  and  the  two  young  princes  were  to  accompany 
the  army,  where  they  were  to  have  small  commands.  They 
would  thus  become  inured  to  the  hardships  of  war,  and  would 
win  the  affection  of  the  soldiers. 

Francois  de  Laville  had  with  his  own  troop  ridden  off  to 
his  chateau  from  Parthenay  on  the  morning  after  the  battle, 
Coligny  advising  him  to  take  his  mother  at  once  to  La 
Rochelle,  as  the  chateau  would  speedily  be  attacked,  in  re- 
venge for  the  sharp  repulse  that  the  Catholics  had  suffered 
there.  On  his  arrival  the  countess  at  once  summoned  all  the 
tenants,  and  invited  those  who  chose  to  accompany  her,  point- 
ing out  that  the  Catholics  would  speedily  ravage  the  land. 
Accordingly  the  next  day  all  the  valuables  in  the  chateau  were 
packed  up  in  carts,  and  the  place  entirely  abandoned.  The 
whole  of  the  tenants  accompanied  her,  driving  their  herds 
before  them,  as  they  would  find  a  market  for  these  in  the  city. 
As  they  moved  along  they  were  joined  by  large  numbers  of 
other  fugitives,  as  throughout  the  whole  country  the  Protes- 
tants were  making  for  refuge  to  the  city. 

When  the  Admiral  marched  away  Philip  rode  with  a  young 
French  officer,  for  whom  he  had  a  warm  friendship,  named 
De  Piles. 

The  latter  had  been  appointed  governor  of  St.  Jean  d' Angely, 
which  was  now  the  sole  bulwark  of  La  Rochelle,  and  he  had 
specially  requested  the  Admiral  to  appoint  Philip  to  accom- 
pany him.  The  place  was  scarcely  capable  of  defence,  and 
the  Admiral  had  only  decided  to  hold  it  in  the  hope  that  the 
Due  d'Anjou,  instead  of  following  him  with  his  whole  army, 
would  wait  to  besiege  it.  This  decision  was,  in  fact,  adopted 
by  the  Royalists,  after  much  discussion  among  the  leaders. 
Several  of  them  wished  to  press  on  at  once  after  Coligny,  urg- 
ing that  the  destruction  of  the  remnant  of  his  army  would  be 
a  fatal  blow  to  the  Huguenot  cause.  The  majority,  however, 
were  of  opinion  that  it  was  of  more  importance  to  reduce  La 
Rochelle,  the  Huguenots'  stronghold  in  the  west,  and  in  order 
to  do  this  St.  Jean  d' Angely  must  first  be  captured.  Their 
counsel  prevailed,  and  just  as  the  siege  of  Poitiers  had  proved 


THE   BATTLE   OF   MONCONTOUR  293 

fatal  to  the  plans  of  Coligny,  so  that  of  St.  Jean  d'Angely  went 
far  to  neutralize  all  the  advantages  gained  by  the  Catholic 
victory  at  Moncontour. 

Scarcely  had  De  Piles  taken  the  command  than  the  army  of 
the  Due  d'Anjou  appeared  before  the  walls,  and  at  once 
opened  fire.  The  garrison  was  a  very  small  one,  but  it  was 
aided  by  the  whole  of  the  inhabitants,  who  were,  like  those  of 
La  Rochelle,  zealous  Huguenots.  Every  assault  upon  the 
walls  was  repulsed,  and  at  night  the  breaches  made  by  the 
cannon  during  the  day  were  repaired,  the  inhabitants,  even 
the  women  and  children,  bringing  stones  to  the  spot,  and  the 
soldiers  doing  the  work  of  building.  On  the  26th  of  October, 
after  the  siege  had  continued  for  a  fortnight,  the  king  himself 
joined  the  Catholic  army,  arid  summoned  the  place  to  sur- 
render. De  Piles  replied  that,  although  he  recognized  the 
authority  of  the  king,  he  was  unable  to  obey  his  orders,  as  he 
had  been  appointed  to  hold  the  city  by  the  Prince  of  Navarre, 
the  royal  governor  of  Guyenne,  his  feudal  superior,  and  could 
only  surrender  it  on  receiving  his  orders  to  do  so.  The  siege, 
therefore,  recommenced.  The  walls  were  so  shaken  that  De 
Piles  himself,  after  repulsing  a  furious  attack  upon  them,  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  next  assault  would  probably  be 
successful,  and  he  therefore  caused  a  breach  to  be  made  in 
the  wall  on  the  other  side  of  the  town,  to  afford  a  means  of 
retreat  for  his  troops.  His  supply  of  ammunition,  too,  was 
almost  exhausted. 

"What  do  you  think,  Fletcher?"  he  said  gloomily.  "If 
we  could  but  hold  out  for  another  ten  days  or  so,  the  Admiral 
would  have  got  so  fair  a  start  that  they  would  never  overtake 
him.  But  I  feel  sure  that  another  twenty-four  hours  will  see 
the  end  of  it." 

"We  might  gain  some  time,"  Philip  replied,  "by  asking 
for  an  armistice.  They  probably  do  not  know  the  straits  to 
which  we  are  reduced,  and  may  grant  us  a  few  days." 

"They  might  do  so;  at  any  rate  it  is  worth  trying,"  De 
Piles  agreed;  and  an  hour  later  Philip  went  with  a  flag  of 
truce  to  the  royal  camp.  He  was  taken  before  the  Due 
d'Anjou. 

"I  am  come  with  proposals  from  the  governor,"  he  said. 


294  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"He  will  not  surrender  the  town  without  orders  from  the 
Prince  of  Navarre.  But  if  you  will  grant  a  fortnight's  armis- 
tice, he  will  send  a  messenger  to  the  prince;  and  if  no  answer 
arrives,  or  if  no  succour  reaches  him  at  the  end  of  that  time, 
he  will  surrender  on  condition  that  the  garrison  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  retire  with  their  horses  and  arms,  and  that  religious 
liberty  shall  be  granted  to  all  the  inhabitants." 

The  Due  consulted  with  his  generals.  The  losses  in  the 
attacks  had  been  extremely  heavy,  and  disease  was  raging  in 
the  army,  and,  to  Philip's  inward  surprise  and  delight,  an 
answer  was  made  that  the  conditions  would  be  granted,  but 
that  only  ten  days  would  be  given.  He  returned  with  the 
answer  to  De  Piles,  and  the  armistice  was  at  once  agreed 
upon,  six  hostages  for  its  proper  observance  being  given  on 
both  sides.  On  the  ninth  day  Saint  Surin,  with  forty  horse- 
men, dashed  through  the  enemy's  lines  and  rode  into  thestown, 
thus  relieving  De  Piles  from  the  necessity  of  surrendering. 
The  hostages  were  returned  on  both  sides  and  the  siege 
recommenced. 

Attack  after  attack  was  repulsed  with  heavy  loss,  several  of 
the  bravest  royalist  officers,  among  them  the  governor  of 
Brittany,  being  killed.  The  town  was  valiantly  defended 
until  the  26.  of  December,  when  De  Piles,  satisfied  with  having 
detained  the  royal  army  seven  weeks  before  the  walls,  and 
seeing  no  hope  of  relief,  surrendered  on  the  same  conditions 
that  had  before  been  agreed  on.  Its  capture  had  cost  the  Due 
d'Anjou  6000  men,  about  half  of  whom  had  fallen  by  disease, 
the  rest  in  the  assaults,  and  the  delay  had  entirely  defeated 
the  object  of  the  campaign.  The  gates  were  opened  and  the 
little  body  of  defenders  marched  out  with  colours  flying.  One 
of  the  conditions  of  surrender  had  been  that  they  should  not 
serve  again  during  the  war. 

The  Due  d'Aumale  and  other  officers  endeavoured  to  ensure 
the  observance  of  the  condition  of  their  safe  conduct  through 
the  Catholic  lines;  but  the  soldiers,  furious  at  seeing  the 
handful  of  men  who  had  inflicted  such  loss  upon  them  going 
off  in  safety,  attacked  them,  and  nearly  a  hundred  were  killed 
— a  number  equal  to  the  loss  they  had  suffered  throughout  the 
whole  siege.  De  Piles  with  the  rest  were,  by  their  own  exer- 


THE   BATTLE   OF  MONCONTOUR  295 

tions  and  those  of  some  of  the  Catholic  leaders,  enabled  to 
make  their  way  through,  and  rode  to  Angouleme.  There  De 
Piles  sent  a  letter  demanding  the  severe  punishment  of  those 
who  had  broken  the  terms  of  surrender,  but  no  attention  having 
been  paid  to  his  demand,  he  sent  a  herald  to  the  king  to 
declare  that,  in  consequence  of  the  breach  of  the  conditions, 
he  and  those  with  him  considered  themselves  absolved  from 
their  undertaking  not  to  carry  arms  during  the  war,  and  he 
then  rode  away  with  his  followers  to  join  the  Admiral. 

The  French  army  rapidly  fell  to  pieces.  With  winter  at 
hand  it  was  in  vain  to  attempt  the  siege  of  La  Rochelle. 
Philip  of  Spain  and  the  pope  ordered  the  troops  they  had 
supplied  to  return  home,  alleging  that  the  victory  of  Moncon- 
tour,  of  which  they  had  received  the  most  exaggerated  reports, 
had  virtually  terminated  the  war.  The  German  and  Swiss 
troops  were  allowed  to  leave  the  service,  and  the  nobles  and 
their  retainers  were  granted  permission  to  do  the  same  until 
the  spring.  Thus  the  whole  fruits  of  the  victory  of  Moncon- 
tour  were  annihilated  by  the  heroic  defence  of  St.  Jean 
d'Angely. 

In  the  meantime  the  Admiral  had  been  moving  south.  In 
order  to  cross  the  rivers  he  had  marched  westward,  and  so 
made  a  circuit  to  Montauban,  the  stronghold  of  the  Huguenots 
in  the  south.  Moving  westward  he  joined  the  Count  of 
Montgomery  at  Aiguillon,  and  returned  with  him  to  Montau- 
ban, where  he  received  many  reinforcements  until  his  army 
amounted  to  some  twenty-one  thousand  men,  of  whom  six 
thousand  were  cavalry.  At  the  end  of  January  they  marched 
to  Toulouse,  a  city  with  an  evil  fame  as  the  centre  of  perse- 
cuting bigotry  in  the  south  of  France.  It  was  too  strong  to 
be  attacked;  but  the  country  round  it  was  ravaged,  and  all  the 
country  residences  of  the  members  of  its  parliament  destroyed. 
Then  they  marched  westward  to  Nismes,  sending  marauding 
expeditions  into  the  Catholic  districts,  and  even  into  Spain, 
in  revenge  for  the  assistance  the  king  had  given  the  Catholics. 
De  Piles  and  his  party  had  joined  the  Admiral  at  Montauban, 
and  the  former  commanded  the  force  that  penetrated  into 
Spain.  Coligny  turned  north,  marched  up  the  Rhone,  sur- 
mounting every  obstacle  of  mountain  and  river  until  he  reached 


296  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Burgundy,  arriving  at  St.  Etienne-sur-Loire  on  the  26th  of 
May. 

Here  they  were  met  by  messengers  from  the  court,  which  was 
in  a  state  of  consternation  at  the  steady  approach  of  an  enemy 
they  had  regarded  as  crushed,  and  were  ready  in  their  alarm 
to  promise  anything.  The  Admiral  fell  dangerously  ill,  and 
at  the  news  the  king  at  once  broke  off  the  negotiations.  He 
recovered,  however,  and  advancing  met  the  royal  army,  under 
Marshal  Cosse",  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  town  of  Arnay  de 
Due.  Coligny's  army  had  dwindled  away  during  its  terrible 
march,  and  it  consisted  now  of  only  two  thousand  horsemen 
and  two  thousand  five  hundred  arquebusiers,  the  cannon  being 
all  left  behind.  Cosse"  had  ten  thousand  infantry,  of  whom 
four  thousand  were  Swiss;  three  thousand  cavalry,  and  twelve 
cannon.  The  armies  took  post  on  the  hills  on  opposite  sides 
of  a  valley  through  which  ran  a  stream  fed  by  some  small 
ponds.  The  Royalists  commenced  the  attack,  but  after  fight- 
ing obstinately  for  seven  hours  were  compelled  to  fall  back 
with  heavy  loss.  A  fresh  body  was  then  directed  against  an 
intrenchment  the  Huguenots  had  thrown  up  near  the  ponds. 
Here  again  the  fighting  was  long  and  obstinate,  but  at  last  the 
Catholics  were  repulsed. 

The  next  morning  both  armies  drew  up  in  order  of  battle; 
but  neither  would  advance  to  the  attack,  as  the  ground  offered 
such  advantages  to  those  who  stood  on  the  defensive,  and  they 
accordingly  returned  to  their  camps.  The  Admiral  being 
unwilling  to  fight  till  he  received  reinforcements  marched 
away  to  La  Charite",  where  he  was  reorganizing  his  force  when 
a  truce  of  ten  days  was  made.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
again  marched  north,  and  distributing  his  soldiers  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Montargis  took  up  his  quarters  at  his  castle 
of  Chatillon-sur-Loing,  where  he  remained  while  negotiations 
were  going  on. 


CHAPTER   XVIU 

A   VISIT   HOME 

WHILE  Coligny  had  been  accomplishing  his  wonderful 
march  round  France,  La  Nolle,  who  had  been  exchanged 
for  Strozzi,  had  betaken  himself  to  La  Rochelle.  He  forced 
the  Catholics,  who  were  still  languidly  blockading  that  place, 
to  fall  back,  defeated  them  near  Lucon,  and  recaptured  Fon- 
tenay,  Niort,  the  Isle  of  Ole'ron,  Brouage,  and  Saintes.  At 
Fontenay,  however,  the  brave  Huguenot  leader  had  his  left 
arm  broken,  and  was  obliged  to  have  it  amputated. 

Negotiations  were  now  being  carried  on  in  earnest.  Charles 
IX.  was  weary  of  a  war  that  impoverished  the  state,  diminished 
his  revenues,  and  forced  him  to  rely  upon  the  Guises,  whom 
he  feared  and  disliked.  Over  and  over  again  he  had  been 
assured  that  the  war  was  practically  at  an  end  and  the  Hugue- 
nots crushed,  but  as  often  fresh  armies  rose.  The  cities  that 
had  been  taken  with  so  much  difficulty  had  again  fallen  into 
their  hands,  and  Paris  itself  was  menaced. 

The  princes  of  Germany  wrote  begging  him  to  make  peace, 
and  although  the  terms  fell  far  short  of  what  the  Huguenots 
hoped  and  desired,  the  concessions  were  large,  and  could  they 
have  depended  upon  the  good  faith  of  the  court  their  lives 
would  have  at  least  been  tolerable.  A  complete  amnesty  was 
granted,  and  a  royal  command  issued  that  the  Protestants  were 
to  be  exposed  to  neither  insults  nor  recriminations,  and  were 
to  be  at  liberty  to  profess  their  faith  openly.  Freedom  of 
worship  was,  however,  restricted  within  very  small  proportions. 
The  nobles  of  high  rank  were  permitted  to  name  a  place 

297 


298  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

belonging  to  them  where  religious  services  could  be  performed. 
As  long  as  they  or  their  families  were  present  these  services 
could  be  attended  by  all  persons  in  their  jurisdiction. 

Other  nobles  were  allowed  to  have  services,  but  only  for 
their  families  and  friends,  not  exceeding  twelve  in  number. 
Twenty-four  towns  were  named,  two  in  each  of  the  principal 
provinces,  in  which  Protestant  services  were  allowed,  the 
privilege  being  extended  to  all  the  towns  of  which  the  Hugue- 
nots had  possession  at  the  signature  of  the  truce.  All  property, 
honours,  and  offices  were  restored,  and  judicial  decisions 
against  their  holders  annulled.  The  four  towns,  La  Rochelle, 
Montauban,  Cognac,  and  La  Charite",  were  for  two  years  to 
remain  in  the  hands  of  the  Huguenots  to  serve  as  places  of 
refuge.  The  edict  in  which  the  king  promulgated  the  terms 
of  peace  stated  the  conditions  to  be  perpetual  and  irrevocable. 
The  Huguenots  had  the  more  hope  that  the  peace  would  be 
preserved,  since  Montmorency,  who  was  an  opponent  of  the 
Guises,  and  had  done  his  best  to  bring  about  peace,  was  high 
in  favour  with  the  king,  and,  indeed,  held  the  chief  power  in 
France. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  at  the  time  the  king  was  in 
earnest.  He  ordered  the  parliament  of  Paris  to  annul  a 
declaration  they  had  made  declaring  the  Cardinal  Chatillon, 
the  Admiral's  brother,  deprived  of  his  bishopric,  and  as  it 
hesitated,  he  ordered  its  president  to  bring  the  records  to  him, 
and  with  his  own  hand  tore  out  the  pages  upon  which  the 
proceedings  were  entered. 

The  priests  throughout  France  threw  every  obstacle  in  the 
way  of  the  recognition  of  the  edict,  and  in  several  places 
there  were  popular  disturbances  and  wholesale  massacres. 
Paris,  as  usual,  set  the  example  of  turbulence  and  bigotry. 

As  soon  as  the  peace  was  concluded  Philip  prepared  to 
return  for  a  while  to  England.  In  the  three  years  which  had 
elapsed  since  he  left  home  he  had  greatly  changed.  He  had 
been  a  lad  of  sixteen  when  he  landed  in  France,  he  was 
now  a  tall  powerful  young  fellow.  Although  still  scarcely 
beyond  the  age  of  boyhood,  he  had  acquired  the  bearing  and 
manners  of  a  man.  He  stood  high  in  the  confidence  of  Coligny 
and  the  other  Huguenot  leaders,  was  a  special  favourite  with 


A  VISIT   HOME  299 

the  young  Prince  of  Navarre  and  his  cousin  Conde",  and  had 
received  the  honour  of  knighthood  at  the  hands  of  one  of  the 
greatest  captains  of  his  a|;e. 

"You  had  better  stay,  Philip,"  his  cousin  urged.  "You 
may  be  sure  that  this  peace  will  be  as  hollow  as  those  which 
preceded  it.  There  will  never  be  a  lasting  one  until  we  have 
taken  Paris,  and  taught  the  bloodthirsty  mob  there  that  it  is 
not  only  women  and  children  who  profess  the  reformed  relig- 
ion but  men  who  have  swords  in  their  hands  and  can  use 
them." 

"  If  the  troubles  break  out  again  I  shall  hasten  back,  Fran- 
cois; indeed,  I  think  that  in  any  case  I  shall  return  for  a  while 
ere  long.  I  do  not  see  what  I  could  do  at  home.  My  good 
uncle  Gaspard  has  been  purchasing  land  for  me,  but  I  am  too 
young  to  play  the  country  gentleman." 

"Nonsense,  Philip.  There  have  been  plenty  of  young 
nobles  in  our  ranks,  who,  if  your  seniors  in  years,  look  no 
older  than  you  do,  and  are  greatly  your  inferiors  in  strength. 
They  are  feudal  lords  on  their  estates,  and  none  deem  them 
too  young." 

"Because  they  have  always  been  feudal  nobles,  Francois. 
I  go  back  to  a  place  where  I  was,  but  three  years  ago,  a  boy 
at  school.  My  comrades  there  are  scarcely  grown  out  of 
boyhood.  It  will  seem  to  them  ridiculous  that  I  should  return 
Sir  Philip  Fletcher,  and  were  I  to  set  up  as  a  country  squire 
they  would  laugh  in  my  face.  Until  I  am  at  least  of  age  I 
should  not  dream  of  this,  and  five-and-twenty  would  indeed  be 
quite  time  for  me  to  settle  down  there.  Here  it  is  altogether 
different.  I  was  introduced  as  your  cousin,  and  as  a  son  of 
one  of  noble  French  family,  and  to  our  friends  here  it  is  no 
more  remarkable  that  I  should  ride  behind  Coligny  and  talk 
with  the  princes  of  Navarre  and  Cond6  than  that  you  should 
do  so.  But  at  home  it  would  be  different;  and  I  am  sure  that 
my  father  and  mother,  my  uncle  and  aunt  will  agree  with  me 
that  it  is  best  I  should  not  settle  down  yet.  Therefore,  I 
propose  in  any  case  to  return  soon.  I  agree  with  you  there 
will  be  troubles  again  here  before  long.  If  not,  there  is  likely 
enough  to  be  war  with  Spain,  for  they  say  Philip  is  furious  at 
toleration  having  been  granted  to  the  Huguenots;  and  in  that 


300  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

case  there  will  be  opportunities  for  us,  and  it  will  be  much 
pleasanter  fighting  against  Spaniards  than  against  Frenchmen. 
If  there  are  neither  fresh  troubles  h  ere  nor  war  with  Spain  I 
shall  go  and  join  the  Dutch  in  their  struggle  against  the  Span- 
iards. Prince  Louis  of  Nassau  told  me  that  he  would  willingly 
have  me  to  ride  behind  him,  and  the  Prince  of  Orange,  to  whom 
the  Admiral  presented  me,  also  spoke  very  kindly.  They,  like 
you,  are  fighting  for  the  reformed  faith  and  freedom  of  worship, 
and  cruel  as  are  the  persecutions  you  have  suffered  in  France, 
they  are  as  nothing  to  the  wholesale  massacres  by  Alva." 

"In  that  case,  Philip,  I  will  not  try  to  detain  you;  but  at 
any  rate  wait  a  few  months  before  you  take  service  in  Holland, 
and  pay  us  another  visit  before  you  decide  upon  doing  so." 

Philip  journeyed  quietly  across  the  north  of  France,  and 
took  passage  to  Dover  for  himself  and  his  horses.  Pierre 
accompanied  him,  taking  it  so  greatly  to  heart  when  he  spoke 
of  leaving  him  behind  that  Philip  consented  to  keep  him, 
feeling,  indeed,  greatly  loath  to  part  from  one  who  had  for 
three  years  served  him  so  well.  The  two  men-at-arms  were 
transferred  to  Frangois'  troop,  both  being  promised  that  if 
Philip  rode  to  the  wars  again  in  France  they  and  their  com- 
rades now  at  Laville  should  accompany  him.  From  Dover 
Philip  rode  to  Canterbury.  He  saw  in  the  streets  he  passed 
through  many  faces  he  knew,  among  them  some  of  his  former 
schoolfellows,  and  he  wondered  to  himself  that  these  were  so 
little  changed  while  he  was  so  altered  that  none  recognized  in 
the  handsomely-dressed  young  cavalier  the  lad  they  had  known, 
although  several  stopped  to  look  at  and  remark  on  the  splendid 
horses  ridden  by  the  gentleman  and  his  attendant.  He  drew 
rein  in  front  of  Gaspard  Vaillant's  large  establishment,  and 
dismounting,  gave  his  reins  to  Pierre  and  entered.  He  passed 
straight  through  the  shop  into  the  merchant's  counting-house. 

Gaspard  looked  up  in  surprise  at  the  entry  of  a  gentleman 
unannounced,  looked  hard  at  his  visitor  and  then  uttered  his 
name,  and  rushing  forward  embraced  him  warmly. 

"I  can  hardly  believe  it  is  you,"  he  exclaimed,  holding 
Philip  at  arm's-length  and  gazing  up  in  his  face.  "Why,  you 
have  grown  a  veritable  giant,  and  as  fine  a  man  as  your  father 
was  when  I  first  knew  him;  and  you  have  returned  Sir  Philip, 


GASPARD   VAILLANT   GETS    A   SURPRISE. 


A  VISIT  HOME  301 

too.  I  don't  know  that  I  was  ever  so  pleased  as  when  you  sent 
me  the  news.  I  gave  a  holiday  to  all  the  workmen  and  we 
had  a  great  fete.  But  of  course  you  cannot  stop  now,  you  will 
be  wanting  to  go  up  to  your  father  and  mother.  Run  upstairs 
and  embrace  Marie.  We  will  not  keep  you  at  present,  but  in 
an  hour  we  will  be  up  with  you." 

In  a  minute  or  two  Philip  ran  down  again. 

" Pardieu,  but  you  are  well  mounted,  Philip,"  the  merchant 
said  as  he  sprang  into  the  saddle.  "These  are  the  two  horses, 
I  suppose,  you  told  us  about  in  your  letters.  And  is  this 
Pierre,  who  saved  your  life  when  you  were  captured  at 
Agen?" 

"  And  a  good  many  other  times,  uncle,  by  always  managing 
to  get  hold  of  a  fat  pullet  when  we  were  pretty  near  starving. 
I  was  always  afraid  that  sooner  or  later  I  should  lose  him,  and 
that  I  should  find  him  some  morning  or  other  dangling  from  a 
tree  to  which  the  prevost-marshal  had  strung  him  up." 

"Then  I  shall  see  you  in  an  hour."  And  Philip  galloped 
off  to  the  farm. 

The  delight  of  Philip's  parents  as  he  rode  up  to  the  house 
was  great  indeed.  Philip  saw  before  he  had  been  at  home  an 
hour  that  they  were  animated  by  somewhat  different  feelings. 
His  mother  was  full  of  gratitude  at  his  preservation  through 
many  dangers,  and  was  glad  that  he  had  been  able  to  do  some 
service  to  her  persecuted  co-religionists — the  fact  that  he  had 
won  great  personal  credit  and  had  received  the  honour  of 
knighthood  at  the  hands  of  Coligny  himself  weighed  as  noth- 
ing in  her  eyes.  It  was  otherwise  with  his  father;  he  was  very 
proud  that  his  boy  had  turned  out  a  worthy  descendant  of  the 
fighting  Kentish  stock,  and  that  he  had  shown,  in  half-a-dozen 
fights  against  heavy  odds,  a  courage  as  staunch  as  that  which 
his  forefathers  had  exhibited  at  Cressy,  Poitiers,  and  Agin- 
court. 

"Good  blood  tells,  my  boy,"  he  said;  "and  you  must  have 
shown  them  a  rare  sample  of  what  an  Englishman  can  do, 
before  they  knighted  you.  I  would  rather  you  had  won  it  in 
an  English  battle,  but  all  admit  that  there  is  no  more  capable 
chief  in  Europe  than  the  Huguenot  Admiral.  Certainly  there 
are  no  English  commanders  of  fame  or  repute  to  compare 


302  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

with  him,  though  if  we  ever  get  to  blows  with  the  Spanish  we 
shall  soon  find  men,  I  warrant  me,  who  will  match  the  best 
of  them.  There  was  a  deal  of  talk  in  Canterbury,  I  can  tell 
you,  when  the  news  came  home,  and  many  refugees  who  came 
through  the  town  declared  that  they  had  heard  your  name 
among  those  of  the  nobles  who  rode  with  the  Admiral  and  the 
brave  La  Noiie;  indeed,  there  are  two  families  settled  here 
who  fled  from  Niort,  and  these  have  told  how  you  and  your 
cousin  saved  them  from  the  Catholics. 

"  I  warrant  you  they  have  told  the  tale  often  enough  since 
they  have  come  here,  and  it  has  made  quite  a  stir  in  Canter- 
bury, and  there  is  not  a  week  passes  without  some  of  your  old 
school  friends,  who  used  to  come  up  here  with  you,  running 
up  to  ask  the  last  news  of  you  and  to  hear  your  letters  read; 
and  it  has  been  a  pleasure  to  me  to  read  them,  lad,  and  to  see 
how  they  opened  their  eyes  when  they  heard  that  the  Queen 
of  Navarre  and  her  son  had  given  you  presents,  and  that  you 
often  rode  with  the  young  prince  and  his  cousin  Conde\  You 
have  changed,  Philip,  mightily;  not  in  your  face,  for  I  see 
but  little  alteration  there,  but  in  your  manner  and  air.  The 
boys  did  not  seem  to  understand  how  you,  whom  they  looked 
on  as  one  of  themselves,  could  be  riding  to  battle  with  nobles 
and  talking  with  princes,  but  I  think  they  will  understand 
better  when  they  see  you.  You  look  almost  too  fine  for  such 
simple  people  as  we  are,  Philip,  though  I  do  not  say  your 
clothes  are  not  of  sombre  hues,  as  might  be  expected  from 
one  fighting  in  the  Huguenot  ranks." 

"I  am  sure,  father,"  Philip  laughed,  "there  is  nothing  fine 
about  me.  I  have  gained  knighthood,  it  is  true;  but  a  poorer 
knight  never  sat  in  saddle,  seeing  that  I  have  neither  a  square 
yard  of  land  nor  a  penny  piece  of  my  own,  owing  everything 
to  the  kindness  of  my  good  uncle  and  yourself." 

"I  must  go  out  to-morrow  morning,  Philip,  and  look  at 
those  horses  of  yours,  they  must  be  rare  beasts  from  what  you 
say  of  them." 

"  That  are  they,  father.  Methinks  I  like  the  one  I  bought 
at  Rochelle  even  better  than  that  which  the  Queen  of  Navarre 
bestowed  upon  me;  but  I  grieved  sorely  over  the  death  of 
Victor,  the  horse  Frangois  gave  me.  I  was  riding  him  at 


A   VISIT   HOME  303 

the  fight  of  Moncontour,  and  he  was  shot  through  the  head 
with  a  ball  from  a  German  arquebus." 

Pierre  had,  as  soon  as  they  arrived,  been  welcomed  and 
made  much  of  by  Philip's  mother,  and  was  speedily  seated 
in  the  post  of  honour  in  the  kitchen,  where  he  astonished  the 
French  servants  with  tales  of  his  master's  adventures,  with 
many  surprising  additions  which  had  but  slight  basis  of  fact. 
Gaspard  Vaillant  and  his  wife  thought  that  Philip's  parents 
would  like  to  have  him  for  a  time  to  themselves,  and  did  not 
come  up  for  two  or  three  hours  after  he  had  arrived. 

"You  will  admit,  John,  that  my  plan  has  acted  rarely,"  the 
merchant  said  when  he  was  seated,  "and  that,  as  I  prophe- 
sied, it  has  made  a  man  of  him.  What  would  he  have  been 
if  he  had  stayed  here?  " 

"He  would,  I  hope,  brother  Gaspard,"  Lucie  said  gravely, 
"have  been  what  he  is  now — a  gentleman." 

"No  doubt,  Lucie,  he  promised  as  much  as  that  before  he 
went,  but  he  is  more  than  that  now.  He  has  been  the  com- 
panion of  nobles  and  has  held  his  own  with  them,  and  if  he 
should  go  to  court  now  he  would  do  honour  to  your  family 
and  his  though  he  rubbed  shoulders  with  the  best  of  them. 
And  now,  what  are  you  thinking  of  doing  next,  Philip?  You 
will  hardly  care  to  settle  down  among  us  here  after  such  a  life 
as  you  have  led  for  the  last  three  years." 

Philip  repeated  the  views  he  had  expressed  to  Francois  de 
Laville,  and  his  plans  were  warmly  approved  by  his  uncle  and 
father,  though  his  mother  folded  her  hands  and  shook  her 
head  sadly. 

"The  lad  is  right,  Lucie,"  the  merchant  said;  "he  is  lord 
now  of  the  Holford  estates — for  the  deeds  are  completed  and 
signed,  Philip,  making  them  over  to  you.  But  I  agree  heart- 
ily with  your  feeling  that  you  are  too  young  yet  to  assume 
their  mastership.  I  have  a  good  steward  there  looking  after 
things,  seeing  that  all  goes  well,  and  that  the  house  is  kept  in 
order.  But  it  is  best,  as  you  say,  that  a  few  years  should  pass 
before  you  go  to  reside  there.  We  need  not  settle  for  a  time 
whether  you  shall  return  to  France  or  go  to  see  service  with 
those  sturdy  Dutchmen  against  the  Spaniards.  But  I  should 
say  that  it  is  best  you  should  go  where  you  have  already  made 


304  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

a  name  and  gained  many  friends.  There  is  no  saying  yet 
how  matters  will  go  there. 

"Charles  is  but  a  puppet  in  the  hands  of  Catherine  de 
Medici;  and  with  the  pope,  and  Philip  of  Spain,  and  the 
Guises  always  pushing  her  on,  she  will  in  time  persuade  the 
king,  who  at  present  earnestly  wishes  for  peace,  to  take  fresh 
measures  against  the  Huguenots.  She  is  never  happy  unless 
she  is  scheming,  and  you  will  see  she  will  not  be  long  before 
she  begins  to  make  trouble  again." 

The  news  spread  quickly  through  Canterbury  that  Philip 
Fletcher  had  returned,  and  the  next  day  many  of  his  old  friends 
came  up  to  see  him.  At  first  they  were  a  little  awed  by  the 
change  that  had  come  over  him,  and  one  or  two  of  them  even 
addressed  him  as  Sir  Philip.  But  the  shout  of  laughter  with 
which  he  received  this  well-meant  respect  showed  them  that 
he  was  their  old  school-fellow  still,  and  soon  set  them  at  their 
ease  with  him. 

"We  didn't  think,  Philip,"  one  of  them  said,  "when  you 
used  to  take  the  lead  in  our  fights  with  the  boys  of  the  town, 
that  you  would  be  so  soon  fighting  in  earnest  in  France,  and 
that  in  three  years  you  would  have  gained  knighthood." 

"I  did  not  think  so  myself,  Archer.  You  used  to  call  me 
Frenchie,  you  know,  but  I  did  not  think  at  the  time  that  I  was 
likely  ever  to  see  France.  I  should  like  to  have  had  my  old 
band  behind  me  in  some  of  the  fights  we  had  there.  I  war- 
rant you  would  have  given  as  hard  knocks  as  you  got,  and 
would  have  held  your  own  there  as  well  as  you  did  many  a 
time  in  the  fights  in  the  Cloisters.  Let  us  go  and  lie  down 
under  the  shade  of  that  tree  there,  it  used  to  be  our  favourite 
bank,  you  know,  in  hot  weather,  and  you  shall  ask  as  many 
questions  as  you  like,  and  I  will  answer  as  best  I  can." 

"And  be  sure,  Philip,  to  bring  all  your  friends  in  to  sup- 
per," John  Fletcher  said;  "I  warrant  your  mother  will  find 
plenty  for  them  to  eat.  She  never  used  to  have  any  difficulty 
about  that  in  the  old  times,  and  I  don't  suppose  their  appe- 
tites are  sharper  now  than  they  were  then." 

Philip  spent  six  months  at  home.  A  few  days  after  his  re- 
turn many  of  the  country  gentry,  who  had  not  known  John 
Fletcher,  called  on  Philip  as  one  who  had  achieved  a  reputa- 


A  VISIT   HOME  305 

tion  that  did  honour  to  the  county — for  every  detail  of  the 
Huguenot  struggle  had  been  closely  followed  in  England,  and 
more  than  one  report  had  been  brought  over  by  emigres  of  the 
bravery  of  a  young  Englishman  who  was  held  in  marked 
consideration  by  Admiral  Coligny,  and  had  won  a  name  for 
himself  even  among  the  nobles  and  gentlemen  who  rode  with 
that  clashing  officer  De  La  Noiie,  whose  fame  was  second  only 
to  that  of  the  Admiral.  Walsingham,  the  English  ambassador 
at  Paris,  had  heard  of  him  from  La  Noiie  himself  when  he 
was  a  prisoner  there,  and  mentioned  him  in  one  of  his  de- 
spatches, saying  that  it  was  this  gentleman  who  had  been 
chosen  by  Coligny  to  carry  important  despatches  both  to  the 
Queen  of  Navarre  and  the  Due  de  Deux- Fonts,  and  had  suc- 
ceeded admirably  in  both  these  perilous  missions;  and  that 
he  had  received  knighthood  at  the  hands  of  the  Admiral  for 
the  valour  with  which  he  had  covered  the  retreat  at  the  battle 
of  Jarnac. 

Philip  was  at  first  disposed  to  meet  these  advances  coldly. 

"They  have  not  recognized  you  or  my  mother,  father,  as 
being  of  their  own  rank." 

"  Nor  have  we  been,  Philip.  I  am  but  a  petty  land-owner, 
while  it  is  already  known  that  you  are  the  owner  of  a  consid- 
erable estate,  and  have  gained  consideration  and  credit,  and 
as  a  knight  have  right  to  precedence  over  many  of  them.  If 
you  had  intended  to  settle  in  France  you  could  do  as  you  like 
as  to  accepting  their  courtesies;  but  as  it  is,  it  is  as  well  that 
you  should  make  the  acquaintance  of  those  with  whom  you 
will  naturally  associate  when  you  take  up  your  residence  on 
the  estate  your  uncle  has  bought  for  you. 

"  Had  your  mother  and  I  a  grievance  against  them  it  might 
be  different;  but  we  have  none.  We  Fletchers  have  been 
yeomen  here  for  many  generations.  In  our  own  rank  we 
esteem  ourselves  as  good  as  the  best,  but  we  never  thought  of 
pushing  ourselves  out  of  our  own  station;  and  in  the  ordinary 
course  of  things  you  would  have  lived  and  died  as  your  fathers 
have  done.  The  change  has  come  about  first  through  my 
marrying  a  French  wife  of  noble  blood,  though  with  but  a 
small  share  of  this  world's  goods;  secondly  through  her  sis- 
ter's husband  making  a  large  fortune  in  trade  and  adopting 


306  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

you  as  his  heir;  and  thirdly,  through  your  going  out  to  your 
mother '  s  relations  and  distinguishing  yourself  in  the  war.  Thus 
you  stand  in  an  altogether  different  position  to  that  which  I 
held.  You  are  a  man  with  an  estate;  you  are  noble  on  your 
mother's  side;  you  are  a  knight,  and  have  gained  the  ap- 
proval of  great  captains  and  princes.  Therefore  it  is  only 
meet  and  right  that  you  should  take  your  place  among  the 
gentry;  and  it  would  be  not  only  churlish  to  refuse  to  accept 
their  civilities  now,  but  altogether  in  opposition  to  the  course 
which  your  uncle  planned  for  you." 

Philip  therefore  accepted  the  civilities  offered  to  him,  and 
was  invited  to  entertainments  at  many  of  the  great  houses  in 
that  part  of  the  county;  where  indeed  he  was  made  a  good 
deal  of,  his  fine  figure,  the  ease  and  courtesy  of  his  bearing, 
and  the  reputation  he  had  gained  for  bravery,  rendering  him 
a  general  favourite. 

At  the  end  of  six  months  he  received  a  letter  from  his 
cousin  urging  him  to  return.  "  Spring  has  now  begun,  Philip. 
At  present  things  are  going  on  quietly,  and  the  king  seems 
determined  that  the  peace  shall  be  kept.  The  Constable 
Montmorency  is  still  very  high  in  favour,  and  the  Guises  are 
sulking  on  their  estates.  The  Huguenot  nobles  are  all  well 
received  at  court,  where  they  go  in  numbers,  to  pay  their 
respect  to  the  king  and  to  assure  him  of  their  devotion.  I 
have  been  there  with  my  mother,  and  the  king  was  mightily 
civil  and  congratulated  me  on  having  been  knighted  by 
Coligny.  We  were  present  at  his  majesty's  marriage  with 
the  daughter  of  the  Emperor  of  Germany.  The  show  was  a 
very  fine  one  and  everything  pleasant. 

"  There  is  a  report  that,  in  order  to  put  an  end  to  all  further 
troubles,  and  to  bind  both  parties  in  friendship,  the  king  has 
proposed  a  marriage  between  his  sister  Marguerite  and  Henri 
of  Navarre.  We  all  trust  that  it  will  take  place,  for  it  will 
indeed  be  a  grand  thing  for  us  of  the  reformed  faith.  It  is 
rumoured  that  Queen  Jeanne  is  by  no  means  eager  for  the 
match,  fearing  that  Henri,  once  at  Paris,  will  abandon  the 
simple  customs  in  which  he  has  been  brought  up,  and  may 
even  be  led  away  by  the  influence  of  Marguerite  and  the  court 
to  abandon  his  faith.  Her  first  fear,  I  think,  is  likely  enough 


A  VISIT   HOME  307 

to  he  realized;  for  it  seems  to  me  that  he  has  been  brought  up 
somewhat  too  strictly,  and  being,  I  am  sure,  naturally  fond  of 
pleasure,  he  is  likely  enough  to  share  in  the  gaieties  of  the 
court  of  Paris.  As  to  her  other  fear,  I  cannot  think  there 
is  foundation  for  it.  Henri  is  certainly  ambitious  and  very 
politic,  and  he  has  talked  often  and  freely  with  me  when  we 
have  been  alone  together.  He  has  spoken  once  or  twice  of 
his  chances  of  succeeding  to  the  throne  of  France.  They  are 
not  great,  seeing  that  three  lives  stand  between  it  and  him, 
and  now  that  the  king  has  married  they  are  more  remote  than 
before. 

"Still  there  is  the  chance;  and  he  once  said  to  me,  'One 
thing  seems  to  me  to  be  certain,  Francois :  supposing  Charles 
of  Valois  and  his  two  brothers  died  without  leaving  heirs, 
France  would  not  accept  a  Huguenot  king.  There  would  be 
the  Guises,  and  the  priests,  and  the  papacy,  and  Spain  all 
thrown  in  the  scale  against  him.'  'That  is  likely  enough, 
prince/  I  said;  'and  methinks  your  lot  would  be  preferable 
as  King  of  Navarre  to  that  of  King  of  France.  However, 
happily  there  is  no  reason  for  supposing  that  the  king  and  his 
two  brothers  will  die  without  heirs. '  He  did  not  speak  for 
some  time,  but  sat  there  thinking.  You  know  the  way  he 
has.  Methinks,  Philip,  that  when  he  comes  to  man's  estate, 
and  is  King  of  Navarre,  the  Guises  will  find  in  him  a  very 
different  opponent  to  deal  with  than  the  leaders  of  the  Hu- 
guenots have  been  so  far. 

"The  Admiral  is  so  honest  and  loyal  and  truthful  himself 
that  he  is  ill  fitted  to  match  the  subtlety  of  the  queen- mother 
or  the  deceit  and  falsehood  of  the  Guises.  The  Queen  of 
Navarre  is  a  heroine  and  saint,  but  although  a  wise  woman, 
she  is  no  match  for  intriguers.  Cond£  was  a  gallant  soldier, 
but  he  hated  politics.  Henri  of  Navarre  will  be  an  opponent 
of  another  sort.  When  I  first  knew  him  I  thought  him  the 
frankest  and  simplest  of  young  princes,  and  that  is  what  most 
think  him  still.  But  I  am  sure  he  is  much  more  than  that. 
Having  been  about  his  person  for  months,  and  being  the 
youngest  of  his  companions — most  of  whom  were  stern,  ear- 
nest Huguenot  nobles — he  was  a  great  deal  with  me,  and  talked 
with  me  as  he  did  not  with  the  others.  It  seems  to  me  that 


308  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

he  has  two  characters,  the  one  what  he  seems  to  be — light- 
hearted,  merry,  straightforward,  and  outspoken;  the  other 
thoughtful,  astute,  ambitious,  and  politic,  studying  men 
closely  and  adapting  himself  to  their  moods. 

"I  don't  pretend  to  understand  him  at  all — he  is  altogether 
beyond  me;  but  I  am  sure  he  will  be  a  great  leader  some  day. 
I  think  you  would  understand  him  better  than  I  should,  and 
I  know  he  thinks  so  too.  Of  course  you  had  your  own  duties 
all  through  the  campaign  and  saw  but  little  of  him,  but  more 
than  once  he  said:  ' I  wish  I  had  your  English  cousin  with 
me.  I  like  you  much,  Laville;  but  your  cousin  is  more  like 
myself,  and  I  should  learn  much  of  him.  You  are  brave  and 
merry  and  good-tempered,  and  so  is  he;  but  he  has  a  longer 
head  than  you  have,' — which  I  know  is  quite  true — 'you  would 
be  quite  content  to  spend  your  life  at  court,  Francois,  where 
you  would  make  a  good  figure  and  would  take  things  as  they 
come.  He  would  not.  If  he  did  not  like  things  he  would 
intrigue,  he  would  look  below  the  surface,  he  would  join  a 
party,  he  would  be  capable  of  waiting,  biding  his  time.  I 
am  only  seventeen,  Frangois;  but  it  is  of  all  things  the  most 
important  for  a  prince  to  learn  to  read  men  and  to  study  their 
characters,  and  I  am  getting  on. 

"'Your  cousin  is  not  ambitious,  he  would  never  conspire 
for  his  own  advantage;  but  he  would  be  an  invaluable  minister 
and  adviser  to  a  prince  in  difficulties.  The  Admiral  meant 
well,  but  he  was  wrong  in  refusing  to  let  me  have  Philip 
Fletcher.  When  I  am  my  own  master  I  will  have  him  if  I  can 
catch  him;  but  I  do  not  suppose  that  I  shall,  because  of  that 
very  fault  of  not  being  ambitious.  He  has  made  his  own 
plans,  and  is  bent,  as  he  told  me,  on  returning  to  England, 
and  nothing  that  I  can  offer  him  will,  I  am  sure,  alter  his 
determination.  But  it  is  a  pity,  a  great  pity. '  By  all  this 
you  see,  Philip,  that  those  who  think  the  Prince  of  Navarre 
merely  a  merry,  careless  young  fellow,  who  is  likely  to  rule 
his  little  kingdom  in  patriarchal  fashion,  and  to  trouble  him- 
self with  nothing  outside  so  long  as  his  subjects  are  contented 
and  allowed  to  worship  in  their  own  way,  are  likely  to  find 
themselves  sorely  mistaken.  However,  if  you  come  over  soon, 
you  will  be  able  to  judge  for  yourself. 


A   VISIT   HOME  309 

"The  Queen  of  Navarre  saw  a  great  deal  of  the  countess, 
my  mother,  when  they  were  at  La  Rochelle  together,  and  has 
invited  her  to  pay  her  a  visit  at  B£arn,  and  the  prince  has 
requested  me  to  accompany  her.  Of  course  if  you  come 
over  you  will  go  with  us,  and  will  be  sure  of  a  hearty  welcome 
from  Henri.  We  shall  have  some  good  hunting,  and  there 
is  no  court  grandeur,  and  certainly  no  more  state  than  we 
have  at  our  chateau.  In  fact,  my  good  mother  is  a  much  more 
important  personage  there  than  is  Jeanne  of  Navarre  at  Be"arn." 

This  letter  hastened  Philip's  departure.  The  prospect  of 
hunting  in  the  mountains  of  Navarre  was  a  pleasant  one.  He 
liked  the  young  prince,  and  had,  in  the  short  time  he  had 
been  his  companion,  perceived  that  there  was  much  more  in 
him  than  appeared  on  the  surface,  and  that,  beside  his  frank 
bonhomie  manner,  there  was  a  fund  of  shrewdness  and  com- 
mon sense.  Moreover,  without  being  ambitious,  it  is  pleas- 
ant for  a  young  man  to  know  that  one  who  may  some  day  be 
a  great  prince  has  conceived  a  good  opinion  of  him.  He 
took  Francois'  letter  down  to  his  uncle  Gaspard  and  read  por- 
tions of  it  to  him.  Gaspard  sat  thoughtful  for  some  time 
after  he  had  finished. 

"  It  is  new  to  me,"  he  said  at  last.  "  I  believed  the  general 
report  that  Henri  of  Navarre  was  a  frank,  careless  young 
fellow,  fond  of  the  chase,  and,  like  his  mother,  averse  to  all 
court  ceremony;  likely  enough  to  make  a  good  soldier,  but 
without  ambition  and  without  marked  talent.  If  what  Fran- 
gois  says  is  true — and  it  seems  that  you  are  inclined  to  agree 
with  him — it  may  make  a  great  difference  in  the  future  of 
France.  The  misfortune  of  the  Huguenots  hitherto  has  been 
that  they  have  been  ready  to  fall  into  any  trap  that  the  court 
of  France  might  set  for  them,  and  on  the  strength  of  a  few 
hollow  promises  to  throw  away  all  the  advantages  they  had 
gained  by  their  efforts  and  courage,  in  spite  of  their  experience 
that  those  promises  were  always  broken  as  soon  as  they  laid 
down  their  arms. 

"  In  such  an  unequal  contest  they  must  always  be  worsted, 
and  honest  and  straightforward  themselves,  they  are  no  match 
for  men  who  have  neither  truth  nor  conscience.  If  they  had 
but  a  leader  as  politic  and  astute  as  the  queen-mother  and  the 


310  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Guises,  they  might  possibly  gain  their  ends.  If  Henri  of 
Navarre  turns  out  a  wise  and  politic  prince,  ready  to  match 
his  foes  with  their  own  weapons,  he  may  win  for  the  Hugue- 
nots what  they  will  never  gain  with  their  own  swords.  But 
mind  you,  they  will  hardly  thank  him  for  it.  My  wife  and 
your  mother  would  be  horrified  were  I  to  say  that,  as  a  Catho- 
lic, Henri  of  Navarre  would  be  able  to  do  vastly  more  to  heal 
the  long  open  sore  and  to  secure  freedom  of  worship  for  the 
Huguenots  than  he  ever  could  do  as  a  Huguenot.  Indeed, 
I  quite  agree  with  what  he  says,  that  as  a  Huguenot  he  can 
never  hold  the  throne  of  France." 

Philip  uttered  an  exclamation  of  indignation. 

"You  cannot  think,  uncle,  that  he  will  ever  change  his 
religion?" 

"I  know  nothing  about  him  beyond  what  you  and  your 
cousin  say,  Philip.  There  are  Huguenots  and  Huguenots. 
There  are  men  who  would  die  at  the  stake  rather  than  give  up 
one  iota  of  their  faith;  there  are  men  who  think  that  the 
reformed  faith  is  better  and  purer  than  the  Catholic,  but  who 
nevertheless  would  be  willing  to  make  considerable  concessions 
in  the  interest  of  peace.  You  must  remember  that  when  princes 
and  princesses  marry  they  generally  embrace  the  faith  of  their 
husbands,  and  when  lately  Queen  Elizabeth  was  talking  of 
marrying  the  Prince  of  Anjou,  she  made  it  one  of  the  condi- 
tions that  he  should  turn  Protestant,  and  the  demand  was  not 
considered  to  be  insurmountable.  It  may  be  that  the  time 
will  come  when  Henri  of  Navarre  may  consider  the  throne  of 
France,  freedom  of  worship,  and  a  general  peace,  cheaply 
purchased  at  the  cost  of  attending  mass.  If  he  does  so, 
doubtless  the  Huguenots  would  be  grieved  and  indignant,  but 
so  far  as  they  are  concerned  it  would  be  the  best  thing.  But 
of  course  we  are  only  talking  now  of  what  he  might  do  should 
nought  but  his  religion  stand  between  him  and  the  throne  of 
France.  As  King  of  Navarre  simply  his  interest  would  be 
all  the  other  way,  and  he  would  doubtless  remain  a  staunch 
Huguenot.  Of  course,  Philip,  I  am  speaking  without  know- 
ing this  young  prince.  I  am  simply  arguing  as  to  what  an 
astute  and  politic  man  in  his  position,  not  over-earnest  as  to 
matters  of  faith,  would  be  likely  to  do." 


A  VISIT   HOME  311 

Three  days  later  Philip  rode  to  London  with  Pierre  and 
embarked  for  La  Rochelle.  His  uncle  had  amply  supplied 
him  with  funds,  but  his  father  insisted  upon  his  taking  a 
handsome  sum  from  him. 

"  Although  you  did  not  require  much  money  before,  Philip 
— and  Gaspard  told  me  that  you  did  not  draw  from  his  agent 
at  La  Rochelle  a  third  of  the  sum  he  had  placed  for  you  in  his 
hands — it  will  be  different  now.  You  had  no  expenses  before 
save  the  pay  of  your  men  and  the  cost  of  their  food  and  your 
own,  but  in  time  of  peace  there  are  many  expenses,  and  I 
would  not  that  you  should  be  in  any  way  short  of  money. 
You  can  place  the  greater  portion  of  it  in  the  hands  of  Maitre 
Bertram,  and  draw  it  as  you  require.  At  any  rate  it  is  better 
in  your  hands  than  lying  in  that  chest  in  the  corner.  Your 
mother  and  I  have  no  need  for  it,  and  it  would  take  away  half 
her  pleasure  in  her  work  were  the  earnings  not  used  partly  for 
your  advantage." 

The  ship  made  a  quick  run  to  La  Rochelle,  and  the  next 
morning  Philip  rode  for  Laville.  He  had  not  been  there  since 
the  battle  of  Moncontour,  and  although  he  knew  that  it  had 
been  burnt  by  the  Royalists  shortly  afterwards,  it  gave  him  a 
shock  to  see,  as  he  rode  through  the  gate,  how  great  a  change 
had  taken  place.  The  central  portion  had  been  repaired,  but 
the  walls  were  still  blackened  with  smoke.  The  wings  stood 
empty  and  roofless,  and  the  ample  stables,  storehouses,  and 
buildings  for  the  retainers  had  disappeared.  His  aunt  re 
ceived  him  with  great  kindness,  and  Frangois  was  delighted  to 
see  him  again. 

"Yes,  it  is  a  change,  Philip,"  the  countess  said,  as  she  saw 
his  eyes  glancing  round  the  apartment.  "However,  I  have 
grown  accustomed  to  it,  and  scarce  notice  it  now.  Fortu- 
nately I  have  ample  means  for  rebuilding  the  chateau,  for  I 
have  led  a  quiet  life  for  some  years,  and  as  the  count  my  hus- 
band, being  a  Huguenot,  was  not  near  the  court  from  the  time 
the  troubles  began,  our  revenues  have  for  a  long  time  been 
accumulating,  and  much  of  it  has  been  sent  to  my  sister's 
husband,  and  has  been  invested  by  him  in  England.  There 
Frangois  agrees  with  me  that  it  should  remain.  There  is  at 
present  peace  here,  but  who  can  say  how  long  it  will  last? 


312  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

One  thing  is  certain,  that  should  war  break  out  again  it  will 
centre  round  La  Rochelle,  and  I  might  be  once  more  forced 
to  leave  the  chateau  at  the  mercy  of  the  Royalists;  it  would, 
then,  be  folly  to  spend  a  crown  upon  doing  more  than  is  suffi- 
cient for  our  necessities.  We  only  keep  such  retainers  as  are 
absolutely  necessary  for  our  service;  there  are  but  eight  horses 
in  the  stables,  the  rest  are  all  out  on  the  farms,  and  should  the 
troubles  recommence  we  shall  soon  find  riders  for  them." 

"You  have  just  arrived  in  time,  Philip,"  Francois  said  pres- 
ently, "for  we  start  at  the  end  of  this  week  for  Be"arn,  and 
although  you  could  have  followed  us,  I  am  right  glad  that  you 
have  arrived  in  time  to  ride  with  us.  All  your  men  are  still 
here." 

"I  saw  Eustace  and  Henri  as  I  rode  in,"  Philip  said. 

"The  other  two  work  in  the  garden.  Of  course  their  days 
for  fighting  are  over.  They  could  doubtless  strike  a  blow  in 
defence  of  the  chateau,  but  they  have  not  recovered  sufficiently 
from  their  wounds  ever  to  ride  as  men-at-arms  again.  How- 
ever, two  will  suffice  for  your  needs  at  present.  I  shall  take 
four  of  my  own  men,  for  the  country  is  still  far  from  safe  for 
travelling.  Many  of  the  disbanded  soldiers  have  turned  rob- 
bers, and  although  the  royal  governors  hunt  down  and  string 
up  many,  they  are  still  so  numerous  that  travellers  from  one 
town  to  another  always  journey  in  strong  parties  for  protec- 
tion. How  did  Pierre  get  on  in  England?  " 

"He  was  glad  to  return  here  again,  Francois,  although  he 
got  on  well  enough,  as  our  house  servants  are  French,  as  are 
also  many  of  those  on  the  farm,  and  he  became  quite  a  fa- 
vourite with  every  one.  But  he  is  of  a  restless  nature,  and 
grew  tired  of  idleness." 

Three  days  later  the  party  set  out  from  Laville.  The  coun- 
tess rode  on  horseback,  and  her  female  attendant  en  croupe 
behind  one  of  the  troopers.  They  journeyed  by  easy  stages, 
stopping  sometimes  at  hostelries  in  the  towns,  but  more  often 
at  chateaux  belonging  to  gentlemen  known  to  the  countess  or 
her  son.  They  several  times  came  upon  groups  of  rough- 
looking  men,  but  the  two  gentlemen,  their  servants,  and  the 
six  fully-armed  retainers  were  a  force  too  formidable  to  be 
meddled  with,  and  they  arrived  safely  at  B6arn.  The  royal 


A  VISIT   HOME  313 

abode  was  a  modest  building,  far  less  stately  than  was  Laville 
before  its  ruin.  It  stood  a  short  distance  out  of  the  town, 
where  they  had  left  the  men-at-arms,  with  instructions  to  find 
lodgings  for  themselves  and  their  horses.  As  they  arrived  at 
the  entrance  Prince  Henri  himself  ran  down  the  steps  in  a 
dress  as  plain  as  that  which  would  be  worn  by  an  ordinary 
citizen. 

"Welcome  to  Be"arn,"  he  said.  "It  is  a  modest  palace, 
countess,  and  I  am  a  much  less  important  person  here  than 
when  I  was  supposed  to  be  commanding  our  army." 

He  assisted  her  to  alight,  and  then  rang  a  bell;  a  man  came 
round  from  the  back  of  the  house  and  took  the  horse  from 
Pierre,  who  was  holding  it,  while  Henri  entered  the  house 
with  the  countess.  A  minute  later  he  ran  out  from  the  house 
again. 

"  Now  that  I  have  handed  over  the  countess  to  my  mother  I 
can  speak  to  you  both,"  he  said  heartily.  "I  am  pleased  to 
see  you,  Francois,  and  you  too,  Monsieur  Philip." 

"  My  cousin  insisted  on  my  coming  with  him,  prince,  and 
assured  me  that  you  would  not  be  displeased  at  the  liberty. 
But,  of  course,  I  intend  to  quarter  myself  in  the  town." 

"You  will  do  no  such  thing,"  the  prince  said.  "We  are 
poor  in  Be"arn,  as  poor  as  church  mice,  but  not  so  poor  that 
we  cannot  entertain  a  friend.  Your  bed-room  is  prepared  for 
you." 

Philip  looked  surprised. 

"You  don't  suppose,"  the  prince  said,  laughing,  "that 
people  can  come  and  go  in  this  kingdom  of  ours  without 
being  noticed.  We  are  weak,  and  for  that  very  reason  we 
must  be  on  our  guard.  Half  the  people  who  come  here  come 
for  a  purpose;  they  come  from  the  king,  or  from  Philip  of 
Spain,  or  from  the  Guises,  and  most  of  them  mean  mischief 
of  some  sort,  so  you  see  we  like  to  know  beforehand,  and 
unless  they  fide  very  fast  we  are  sure  to  get  twenty-four  hours' 
notice  before  they  arrive.  Then,  you  see,  if  we  want  a  little 
more  time  a  horse  may  cast  its  shoe,  or  some  of  the  baggage 
may  be  missing,  or  perhaps  an  important  paper  somehow  gets 
mislaid.  It  is  curious  how  often  these  things  happen.  Then, 
when  they  arrive  here  they  find  that  I  have,  as  usual,  gone  off 


314  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

for  a  fortnight's  hunting  among  the  mountains,  and  that,  per- 
haps, my  mother  has  started  for  Nerac.  We  heard  yesterday 
morning  that  you  had  crossed  the  frontier,  and  that  the  count- 
ess had  with  her  her  son  and  a  big  young  Englishman,  whose 
identity  I  had  no  difficulty  in  guessing." 

"And  we  met  with  no  misfortunes  by  the  way,  prince," 
Francois  said  smiling. 

"No,"  the  prince  laughed,  "these  things  do  not  happen 
always." 

They  had  so  far  stood  on  the  steps  chatting;  the  two  ser- 
vants had  followed  the  lackey  with  their  own  and  their  masters' 
horses.  The  prince  led  the  way  indoors,  and  they  were  heartily 
welcomed  by  the  queen,  who  kept  no  more  state  at  Beam  than 
would  be  observed  by  any  petty  nobleman  in  France. 

On  the  following  day  the  two  friends  started  with  the  prince 
for  the  mountains,  and  were  away  for  three  weeks,  during  which 
time  they  hunted  the  wild  boar,  killed  several  wolves,  and  shot 
five  or  six  wild  goats.  They  were  attended  only  by  two  or 
three  huntsmen  and  their  three  personal  servants.  They  slept 
sometimes  in  the  huts  of  shepherds  or  charcoal-burners,  some- 
times in  the  forest,  in  spite  of  the  cold,  which  was  often  severe. 

"What  do  you  say  about  this  marriage  which  is  being 
arranged  for  me?"  the  prince  asked  suddenly  one  night  as 
they  were  sitting  by  a  huge  fire  in  the  forest. 

"  It  ought  to  be  a  great  thing  for  the  reformed  religion,  if 
it  is  agreeable  to  your  highness,"  Francois  said  cautiously. 

"A  politic  answer,  Monsieur  de  Laville.  What  say  you, 
Philip?" 

"It  is  a  matter  too  deep  for  me  to  venture  an  opinion," 
Philip  said.  "There  is  doubtless  much  to  be  said  on  both 
sides.  For  example — you  are  a  fisherman,  prince?  " 

"Only  moderately  so,  Philip;  but  what  has  that  to  do  with 
it?" 

"  I  would  say,  sir,  that  when  a  fisherman  hooks  an  exceed- 
ingly large  fish  it  is  just  possible  that,  instead  of  landing  it, 
the  fish  may  pull  him  into  the  water." 

The  prince  laughed. 

"You  have  hit  it  exactly,  Monsieur  Philip.  That  is  just 
the  way  I  look  at  it.  Marguerite  of  Valois  is  indeed  a  very 


A  VISIT   HOME  315 

big  fish  compared  with  the  Prince  of  Be"arn,  and  it  is  not  only 
she  who  would  pull,  but  there  are  others,  and  even  bigger  fish, 
who  would  pull  with  her.  My  good  mother  has  fears  that  if 
I  once  tasted  the  gaieties  of  the  court  of  France  I  should  be 
ruined  body  and  soul.  Now  I  have  rather  an  inclination  for 
the  said  gaieties,  and  that  prospect  does  not  terrify  me  as  it 
does  her.  But  there  are  things  which  alarm  me  more  than 
gaieties.  There  is  the  king,  who,  except  when  he  occasionally 
gets  into  a  rage,  and  takes  his  own  course,  is  but  a  tool  in  the 
hands  of  Catharine  de  Medici.  There  is  Anjou,  who  made  a 
jest  of  the  dead  body  of  my  uncle  Conde".  There  are  Lorraine 
and  the  Guises;  there  are  the  .priests;  and  there  is  the  turbu- 
lent mob  of  Paris.  It  seems  to  me  that,  instead  of  being  the 
fisherman,  I  should  be  like  a  very  small  fish  enclosed  in  a  very 
strong  net."  And  he  looked  thoughtfully  into  the  fire.  "The 
king  is  at  present  with  us,  but  his  plighted  word  is  worth 
nothing." 

"But  once  married,"  Frangois  said,  "you  would  have  the 
princess  on  your  side,  and  being  then  brother-in-law  to  the 
king,  you  would  be  safe  from  attack." 

"The  king  has  no  great  love  for  his  own  brothers,"  Henri 
said;  "but  I  am  not  supposing  that  even  Charles  would  lay 
hands  on  me  after  inviting  me  to  his  court  to  marry  his  sister. 
He  would  not  venture  upon  that  before  the  eyes  of  all  Europe. 
It  is  the  strain  and  the  pressure  that  I  fear.  A  girl  who  is 
sent  to  a  nunnery,  however  much  she  may  hate  becoming  a 
nun,  can  no  more  escape  than  a  fly  from  the  meshes  of  a 
spider.  I  doubt  not  that  it  seems  to  all  the  Huguenots  of 
France  that  for  me  to  marry  Marguerite  of  Valois  would  be 
more  than  a  great  victory  won  for  their  cause;  but  I  have  my 
doubts.  However,  in  a  matter  like  this  I  am  not  a  free  agent. 
The  Huguenot  lords  are  all  delighted  at  the  prospect.  My 
mother  is  still  undecided.  You  see  I  am  practically  as  much 
in  a  net  here  as  I  shall  be  at  Paris  if  this  marriage  is  made. 
I  am  rather  glad  the  decision  does  not  rest  with  me.  I  shall 
simply  go  with  the  stream ;  some  day  perhaps  I  shall  be  strong 
enough  to  swim  against  it.  I  hope  that,  at  any  rate,  if  I  ride 
to  Paris  to  marry  Marguerite  of  Valois,  you  will  both  accom- 
pany me." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

IN  A   NET 

A  FTER  their  return  from  hunting  they  remained  for  another 
f\  fortnight  at  Be"arn,  and  then  started,  the  countess  and 
Francois  to  return  home,  and  Philip  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Count 
de  Valecourt  at  his  chateau  in  Dauphiny,  in  accordance  with 
the  promise  he  had  given  him  to  visit  him  on  his  return  to 
France.  Here  he  remained  for  a  month.  The  count  treated 
him  with  the  warmest  hospitality,  and  introduced  him  to  all 
his  friends  as  the  saviour  of  his  daughter.  Claire  had  grown 
much  since  he  had  seen  her,  when  he  had  ridden  over  with 
her  father  to  Landres  a  year  before.  She  was  now  nearly 
sixteen,  and  was  fast  growing  into  womanhood.  Philip  was 
already  acquainted  with  many  of  the  nobles  and  gentry  of 
Dauphiny  who  had  joined  the  Admiral's  army,  and  after  leav- 
ing Valecourt  he  stayed  for  a  short  time  at  several  of  their 
chateaux,  and  it  was  autumn  before  he  joined  Francois  at 
Laville. 

The  inhabited  portion  of  the  chateau  had  been  enlarged 
and  made  more  comfortable,  for  the  king  was  still  firm  in  his 
decision  that  peace  should  be  preserved,  and  showed  marked 
favour  to  the  section  of  the  court  that  opposed  any  persecution 
of  the  Huguenots.  He  had  further  shown  his  desire  for  the 
friendship  of  the  Protestant  powers  by  the  negotiations  that 
had  been  carried  on  for  the  marriage  of  the  Duke  of  Anjou  to 
Queen  Elizabeth. 

"I  have  news  for  you,"  Francois  said.  "The  king  has 
invited  the  Admiral  to  visit  him.  It  has,  of  course,  been  a 

316 


IN  A  NET  317 

matter  of  great  debate  whether  Coligny  should  trust  himself  at 
court,  many  of  his  friends  strongly  dissuading  him;  but  he 
deems  it  best  in  the  interests  of  our  religion  that  he  should 
accept  the  invitation,  and  he  is  going  to  set  out  next  week  for 
Blois,  where  the  king  now  is  with  the  court.  He  will  take  only 
a  few  of  his  friends  with  him.  He  is  perfectly  aware  of  the 
risk  he  runs,  but  to  those  who  entreat  him  not  to  trust  himself 
at  court  he  says  his  going  there  may  be  a  benefit  to  the  cause, 
and  that  his  life  is  as  nothing  in  the  scale.  However,  he  has 
declined  the  offers  that  have  been  made  by  many  gentlemen  to 
accompany  him,  and  only  three  or  four  of  his  personal  friends 
ride  with  him," 

"No  doubt  he  acts  wisely  there,"  Philip  said.  "It  would 
be  well-nigh  destruction  to  our  cause  should  anything  befall 
him  now;  and  the  fewer  of  our  leaders  in  Charles's  hands  the 
less  temptation  to  the  court  to  seize  them.  But  I  do*  think  it 
possible  that  good  may  come  of  Coligny  himself  going  there. 
He  exercises  wonderful  influence  over  all  who  come  in  contact 
with  him,  and  he  may  be  able  to  counterbalance  the  intrigues 
of  the  Catholic  party  and  confirm  the  king  in  his  present  good 
intentions  towards  us." 

"I  saw  him  two  days  ago,  and  offered  to  ride  in  his  train," 
Francois  said,  "but  he  refused  decidedly  to  let  me.  'The 
friends  who  will  accompany  me,'  he  said,  'have,  like  myself, 
well-nigh  done  their  work.  The  future  is  for  you  and  those 
who  are  young.  I  cannot  dream  that  the  king  would  do  wrong 
to  invited  guests;  but  should  aught  happen,  the  blow  shall  fall 
upon  none  of  those  who  should  be  the  leaders  of  the  next 
generation.'" 

The  news  of  the  reception  of  the  Admiral  at  Blois  was 
anxiously  awaited  by  the  Huguenots  of  the  west,  and  there  was 
great  joy  when  they  heard  that  he  had  been  received  most 
graciously  by  the  king,  who  had  embraced  him  and  protested 
that  he  regarded  it  as  one  of  the  happiest  days  in  his  life,  as 
he  saw  in  his  return  to  his  side  the  end  of  trouble  and  an 
assurance  of  future  tranquillity.  Even  Catharine  de  Medici 
received  the  Admiral  with  warmth.  The  king  presented  him 
from  his  private  purse  with  the  large  sum  of  a  hundred  thou- 
sand livres  to  make  good  some  of  the  great  losses  he  had 


318  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

suffered  in  the  war.  He  also  ordered  that  he  should  receive 
for  a  year  the  revenues  of  his  brother  the  cardinal,  who  had 
lately  died,  and  appointed  him  guardian  of  one  of  the  great 
estates  during  the  minority  of  its  heir — a  post  which  brought 
with  it  considerable  profits. 

At  Coligny's  suggestion  Charles  wrote  to  the  Duke  of  Savoy 
interceding  for  the  Waldenses,  who  were  being  persecuted 
cruelly  for  having  assisted  the  Huguenots  of  France.  So 
angered  were  the  Guises  by  the  favour  with  which  the  king 
treated  the  Admiral  that  they  retired  from  court,  and  the  king 
was  thus  left  entirely  to  the  influence  of  Montmorency  and 
Coligny.  The  ambassador  of  Spain,  who  was  farther  angered 
by  Charles  granting  interviews  to  Louis  of  Nassau,  and  by  his 
holding  out  hopes  to  the  Dutch  of  assistance  in  their  struggle 
against  Alva,  also  left  France  in  deep  dudgeon  and  with  threats 
of  war.  The  result  was  naturally  to  cause  a  better  state  of 
feeling  throughout  France.  Persecutions  everywhere  ceased, 
and  the  Huguenots  for  the  first  time  for  many  years  were  able 
to  live  in  peace,  and  without  fear  of  their  neighbours. 

The  negotiations  for  the  marriage  between  the  Prince  of 
Navarre  and  Marguerite  de  Valois  continued.  The  prince 
was  now  eighteen  and  a  half,  and  the  princess  twenty.  The 
idea  of  a  marriage  between  them  was  of  old  standing,  for  it 
had  been  proposed  by  Henry  II.  fifteen  years  before,  but  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  Huguenot  troubles  it  had  been  dropped. 
Marshal  Biron  was  sent  by  the  king  with  the  royal  proposals  to 
the  Queen  of  Navarre,  who  was  now  at  La  Rochelle.  The 
queen  expressed  her  gratitude  for  the  honour  offered  to  her 
son,  but  prayed  for  time  before  giving  a  decided  answer,  in 
order  that  she  might  consult  the  ministers  of  her  religion  as 
to  whether  such  a  marriage  might  be  entered  into  by  one  of 
the  reformed  religion. 

The  news  of  the  proposed  marriage,  and  also  of  the  nego- 
tiations that  had  been  opened  for  a  marriage  between  Eliza- 
beth of  England  and  the  Due  d'Alengon,  created  the  greatest 
alarm  throughout  the  Catholic  world.  A  legate  was  sent  to 
Charles  by  the  pope  to  protest  against  it.  Sebastian,  King  of 
Portugal,  who  had  refused  the  hand  of  Marguerite  when  it  had 
before  been  offered  to  him,  reopened  negotiations  for  it,  while 


IN  A  NET  319 

Philip  of  Spain  did  all  in  his  power  to  throw  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  the  match. 

The  ministers  of  the  reformed  religion,  consulted  by  the 
queen,  considered  that  the  marriage  of  Henri  to  Marguerite 
would  be  of  vast  benefit  to  the  Huguenot  cause,  and  declared 
that  a  mixed  marriage  was  lawful.  The  English  ambassador 
gave  his  strongest  support  to  it,  and  the  Queen  of  Navarre 
now  entered  upon  the  negotiations  in  earnest  and  went  to 
Blois  for  the  purpose. 

The  differences  were  entirely  religious  ones,  the  court 
insisting  that  Henri,  while  living  at  Paris  with  his  wife,  should 
consent  to  be  deprived  of  all  means  of  worshipping  according 
to  his  own  religion,  while  Marguerite,  while  in  B£arn,  should 
be  guaranteed  permission  to  have  mass  celebrated  there. 

The  king  would  have  been  ready  to  waive  both  conditions, 
but  Catharine,  who,  after  at  first  favouring  the  match  now 
threw  every  obstacle  in  its  way,  was  opposed  to  any  conces- 
sion. She  refused  to  permit  the  Queen  of  Navarre  to  have 
any  interview  with  either  Charles  or  Marguerite  unless  she 
was  also  present,  anfl  hesitated  at  no  falsehoods  however  out- 
rageous in  order  to  thwart  the  efforts  of  Jeanne  and  her 
friends.  The  pious  queen,  however,  was  more  troubled  by 
the  extreme  and  open  profligacy  of  the  court  than  by  the 
political  difficulties  she  encountered,  and  in  her  letters  im- 
plored her  son  to  insist  upon  residing  at  B£arn  with  his  wife, 
and  on  no  account  to  take  up  his  abode  at  Paris. 

However,  at  last  the  difficulties  were  removed,  the  court 
abandoned  its  demand  that  Marguerite  should  be  allowed  to 
attend  mass  at  Be"arn,  and  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  on  her  part,  v 
consented  that  the  marriage  should  take  place  at  Paris,  instead 
of  at  Be"arn  as  she  had  before  desired.  She  then  went  to 
Paris  to  make  preparations  for  the  wedding.  The  great  anxi- 
ety she  had  gone  through  told  heavily  upon  her,  and  a  few 
days  after  her  arrival  at  the  capital  she  was  seized  with  a  fever, 
which,  in  a  very  short  time,  terminated  her  life,  not  without 
considerable  suspicions  being  entertained  that  her  illness  and 
death  had  been  caused  by  poison  administered  by  an  agent  of 
Catharine.  She  was,  undoubtedly,  one  of  the  noblest  women 
of  her  own  or  any  other  time.  She  was  deeply  religious,  ready 


320  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

to  incur  all  dangers  for  the  sake  of  her  faith,  simple  in  her 
habits,  pure  in  her  life,  unconquerable  in  spirit,  calm  and 
confident  in  defeat  and  danger,  never  doubting  for  a  moment 
that  God  would  give  victory  to  his  cause,  and  capable  of 
communicating  her  enthusiasm  to  all  around  her — a  Christian 
heroine,  indeed.  Her  death  was  a  terrible  blow  to  the 
reformed  religion.  She  died  on  the  Qth  of  June,  and  the 
marriage  was,  in  consequence,  deferred  until  August. 

The  Admiral  had  not  been  present  at  Blois  during  the 
negotiations  for  the  marriage,  for  after  remaining  there  for 
three  weeks  he  had  retired  to  his  estate  at  Chatillon,  where 
he  occupied  himself  with  the  work  of  restoring  his  ruined 
chateau.  The  Countess  Amelie  had  accompanied  the  Queen 
of  Navarre  to  Blois  and  also  to  Paris,  and  had  been  with  her 
at  the  time  she  died.  She  had  sent  a  message  to  Francois 
and  Philip  to  join  her  there  when  she  left  Blois,  accompany- 
ing her  letter  with  a  safe-conduct  signed  by  the  king.  On 
the  road  they  were  met  by  the  news  of  the  death  of  the  Queen 
of  Navarre.  It  was  a  severe  blow  to  both  of  them,  not  only 
from  the  effect  it  would  have  upon  the  Huguenot  cause,  but 
from  the  affection  they  personally  felt  for  her. 

The  king  being  grievously  harassed  by  the  opposite  coun- 
sels he  received,  and  his  doubts  as  to  which  of  his  advisers 
were  honest,  wrote  to  Coligny  begging  him  to  come  and  aid 
him  with  his  counsel  and  support. 

The  Admiral  received  many  letters  imploring  him  not  to  go 
to  Paris,  where,  even  if  the  friendship  of  the  king  continued, 
he  would  be  exposed  to  the  danger  of  poison,  to  which,  it  was 
generally  believed,  his  brothers  and  the  Queen  of  Navarre  had 
succumbed;  but  although  fully  aware  of  the  danger  of  the  step, 
he  did  not  hesitate.  To  one  of  his  advisers  he  wrote  fear- 
lessly : 

"  As  a  royal  officer  I  cannot  in  honour  refuse  to  comply  with 
the  summons  of  the  king,  but  will  commit  myself  to  the  provi- 
dence of  Him  who  holds  in  His  hands  the  hearts  of  kings 
and  princes,  and  has  numbered  my  years,  nay,  the  very  hairs 
of  my  head." 

One  reason  of  the  king's  desire  for  the  counsels  of  the 
Admiral  was  that  he  had  determined  to  carry  out  his  advice, 


IN  A  NET  321 

and  that  of  Louis  of  Nassau,  to  assist  the  Protestants  of  Hol- 
land, and  to  embark  in  a  struggle  against  the  dangerous 
predominance  of  Spain. 

As  a  first  step  he  had  already  permitted  Louis  of  Nassau  to 
recruit  secretly  in  France  five  hundred  horse  and  a  thousand 
infantry  from  among  his  Huguenot  friends,  and  to  advance 
with  them  into  the  Netherlands,  and  with  these  Louis  had  on 
the  24th  of  May  captured  Mons,  the  capital  of  Hainault.  The 
Huguenot  leaders  did  their  best  to  persuade  Charles  to  follow 
up  this  stroke  by  declaring  war  against  Spain;  and  the  king 
would  have  done  so,  had  it  not  been  that  Elizabeth  of  England, 
who  had  before  urged  him  to  this  course,  promising  him  her 
aid,  now  drew  back  with  her  usual  vacillation,  wishing  nothing 
better  than  to  see  France  and  Spain  engaged  in  hostilities 
from  which  she  would  without  trouble  or  expense  gain  advan- 
tage. Meanwhile  Catharine,  Anjou,  and  the  Guise  faction  all 
did  their  best  to  counteract  the  influence  of  the  Huguenots. 

Elizabeth's  crafty  and  hesitating  policy  was  largely  respon- 
sible for  the  terrible  events  that  followed.  Charles  saw  that 
she  had  been  fooling  him,  both  in  reference  to  his  course 
towards  Spain,  and  in  her  negotiations  for  a  marriage  with 
one  or  other  of  his  brothers.  These  matters  were  taken  advan- 
tage of  by  his  Catholic  advisers,  and  disposed  him  to  doubt 
the  wisdom  of  his  having  placed  himself  in  the  har-°s  of  the 
Huguenots.  While  Elizabeth  was  hesitating  ?.  blow  came  that 
confirmed  the  king  in  his  doubts  as  to  the  prudence  of  the 
course  he  had  taken.  Alva  laid  siege  to  Mons.  A  Huguenot 
force  of  some  three  thousand  men,  led  by  the  Sieur  de  Genlis, 
marched  to  its  relief,  but  was  surprised  and  utterly  routed 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  town;  1200  were  killed  on  the 
field  of  battle,  some  1900  fugitives  were  slain  by  the  peasantry, 
barely  a  hundred  reached  Mons. 

Coligny,  who  was  preparing  a  much  larger  force  for  the 
assistance  of  Louis  of  Nassau,  still  strove  to  induce  the  king 
to  throw  himself  heart  and  soul  into  the  struggle  against  Spain, 
and  even  warned  him  that  he  would  never  be  a  true  king  until 
he  could  free  himself  from  his  mother's  control  and  the  influ- 
ence of  his  brother  Anjou.  The  queen-mother,  who  had  spies 
everywhere,  was  not  long  in  learning  that  Coligny  had  given 


322  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

this  advice,  and  her  hatred  against  him  was  proportionately 
increased.  She  at  once  went  in  tears  to  Charles,  and  pointed 
out  to  him  that  it  was  to  her  counsel  and  aid  alone  that  he  had 
owed  his  success  against  the  Huguenots,  that  they  were  now 
obtaining  all  the  advantages  for  which  they  had  fought  in  vain, 
and  that  he  was  endangering  the  safety  of  his  throne  by  anger- 
ing Spain,  relying  only  on  the  empty  promises  of  the  faithless 
Queen  of  England.  Charles,  always  weak  and  irresolute, 
succumbed  at  once  to  her  tears  and  entreaties,  and  gave 
himself  up  altogether  to  her  pernicious  counsels. 

After  the  death  of  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  the  countess 
travelled  back  to  Laville  escorted  by  her  son  and  Philip.  The 
young  men  made  no  stay  there,  but  returned  at  once  to  Paris, 
where,  now  that  Coligny  was  in  the  king's  counsels,  there  was 
no  ground  for  fear,  and  the  approaching  nuptials  of  the  young 
King  of  Navarre  would  be  attended  by  large  numbers  of  his 
adherents.  They  took  a  lodging  near  that  occupied  by  the 
Admiral.  De  la  Noiie  was  not  at  court,  he  being  shut  up  in 
Mons,  having  accompanied  Louis  of  Nassau  in  his  expedition. 
The  court  was  in  deep  mourning  for  the  Queen  of  Navarre, 
and  there  would  be  no  public  gaieties  until  the  wedding. 
Among  the  Huguenot  lords  who  had  come  to  Paris  were  the 
Count  de  Valecourt  and  his  daughter,  who  was  now  seventeen, 
and  had  several  suitors  for  her  hand  among  the  young  Hugue- 
not nobles. 

Francois  and  Philip  were  both  presented  to  the  king  by  the 
Admiral.  Charles  received  them  graciously,  and  learning  that 
they  had  been  stopping  at  Beam  with  the  Prince  of  Navarre, 
presented  them  to  his  sister  Margaret. 

"These  gentlemen,  Margot,  are  friends  of  the  King  of 
Navarre,  and  will  be  able  to  tell  you  more  about  him  than 
these  grave  politicians  can  do." 

The  princess,  who  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  women  of 
her  time,  asked  them  many  questions  about  her  future  husband, 
of  whom  she  had  seen  so  little  since  his  childhood,  and  about 
the  place  where  she  was  to  live;  and  after  that  time  when  they 
went  to  court  with  the  Admiral,  who  on  such  occasions  was 
always  accompanied  by  a  number  of  Huguenot  gentlemen,  the 
young  princess  always  showed  them  marked  friendliness.  As 


IN  A  NET  323 

the  time  for  the  marriage  approached,  the  king  became  more 
and  more  estranged  from  the  Admiral.  Queen  Elizabeth,  while 
professing  her  friendship  for  the  Netherlands,  had  forbidden 
English  volunteers  to  sail  to  the  assistance  of  the  Dutch,  and 
had  written  to  Alva  offering  in  token  of  her  friendship  to  hand 
over  Flushing  to  the  Spaniards.  This  proof  of  her  duplicity, 
and  of  the  impossibility  of  trusting  her  as  an  ally,  was  made 
the  most  of  by  Catharine,  and  she  easily  persuaded  the  weak- 
minded  king  that  hostilities  with  the  Spaniards  would  be  fatal 
to  him,  and  that,  should  he  yield  to  the  Admiral's  entreaties, 
he  would  fall  wholly  into  the  power  of  the  Huguenots.  The 
change  in  the  king's  deportment  was  so  visible  that  the  Catho- 
lics did  not  conceal  their  exultation,  while  a  feeling  of  uneasi- 
ness spread  among  some  of  the  Huguenot  gentlemen  at  Paris. 

"What  are  you  doing,  Pierre?"  Philip  said  one  day  when 
he  found  his  servant  occupied  in  cleaning  up  the  two  pairs  of 
heavy  pistols  they  carried  in  their  holsters. 

"I  am  getting  them  ready  for  action,  master.  I  always 
thought  that  the  Huguenots  were  fools  to  put  their  heads  into 
this  cage,  and  the  more  I  see  of  it  the  less  I  like  it." 

"  There  can  be  no  reason  for  uneasiness,  Pierre.  The  king 
himself  has  over  and  over  declared  his  determination  to 
maintain  the  truce,  and  even  did  he  harbour  ill  designs  against 
us  he  would  not  mar  his  sister's  marriage  by  fresh  steps  against 
the  Huguenots.  What  may  follow  after  we  have  all  left  Paris 
I  cannot  say." 

"Well,  sir,  I  hope  it  may  be  all  right,  but  since  I  got  a 
sight  of  the  king's  face  the  other  day  I  have  no  faith  in  him; 
he  looks  like  one  worried  until  well-nigh  out  of  his  senses — 
and  no  wonder.  These  weak  men,  when  they  become  desper- 
ate, are  capable  of  the  most  terrible  actions.  A  month  since 
he  would  have  hung  up  his  mother  and  Anjou  had  they  ven- 
tured to  oppose  him,  and  there  is  no  saying  now  upon  whom 
his  wrath  may  fall.  At  any  rate,  sir,  with  your  permission  I 
mean  to  be  prepared  for  the  worst,  and  the  first  work  is  to 
clean  these  pistols." 

"  There  can  be  no  harm  in  that  anyhow,  Pierre,  but  I  have 
no  shadow  of  fear  of  any  trouble  occurring.  The  one  thing  I 
am  afraid  of  is,  that  the  king  will  keep  Coligny  near  him,  so 


324  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

that  if  war  should  break  out  again  we  shall  not  have  him  for 
our  general.  With  the  Queen  of  Navarre  dead,  the  Admiral  a 
prisoner  here,  and  De  la  Noiie  a  captive  in  the  hands  of  Alva, 
we  should  fight  under  terrible  disadvantages,  especially  as  La 
Rochelle,  La  Charite',  and  Montauban  have  received  royal 
governors  in  accordance  with  the  conditions  of  the  peace." 

"  Well,  we  shall  see,  master.  I  shall  feel  more  comfortable 
if  I  have  got  ready  for  the  worst." 

Although  Philip  laughed  at  the  fears  of  Pierre,  he  was  yet 
impressed  by  what  he  had  said,  for  he  had  come  to  rely  very 
much  upon  the  shrewdness  of  observation  of  his  follower. 
When,  however,  he  went  that  evening  to  the  Count  de  Vale- 
court's,  he  saw  that  there  was  no  tinge  of  such  feeling  in  the 
minds  of  the  Huguenots  present.  The  only  face  that  had  an 
unusual  look  was  that  of  Claire.  Apparently  she  was  gayer 
than  usual,  and  laughed  and  talked  more  than  was  her  wont; 
but  Philip  saw  that  this  mood  was  not  a  natural  one,  and  felt 
sure  that  something  had  happened.  Presently  when  he  passed 
near  her  she  made  room  for  him  on  the  settee  beside  her. 

"You  have  not  heard  the  news,  Monsieur  Philip?  " 

"No,  mademoiselle,  I  have  heard  no  particular  news." 

"  I  am  glad  of  it.  I  would  rather  tell  you  myself.  My  father 
has  to-day  laid  his  commands  on  me  to  marry  the  Sieur  de 
Pascal." 

Philip  could  not  trust  himself  to  speak.  He  had  never 
acknowledged  to  himself  that  he  loved  Claire  de  Valecourt, 
and  had  over  and  over  again  endeavoured  to  impress  upon  his 
mind  the  fact  that  it  would  be  ridiculous  for  him  even  to  think 
of  her,  for  that  her  father  would  never  dream  of  giving  her,  a 
rich  heiress,  and  the  last  of  one  of  the  proudest  families  of 
Dauphiny,  to  a  simple  English  gentleman. 

As  he  did  not  speak  the  girl  went  on  after  a  pause.  "It  is 
not  my  wish,  Monsieur  Philip;  but  French  girls  do  not  choose 
for  themselves.  My  father  stated  his  wishes  to  me  three 
months  ago  in  Dauphiny;  I  then  asked  for  a  little  time,  and 
now  he  has  told  me  that  it  is  to  be.  He  is  wise  and  good,  and 
I  have  nothing  to  say  against  the  Sieur  de  Pascal,  who,  as  you 
know,  is  our  near  neighbour,  a  brave  gentleman,  and  one 
whom  I  have  known  since  my  childhood.  It  is  only  that  I  do 


"YOU   HAVE   NOT   HEARD   THE   NEWS,    MONSIEUR    PHILIP?" 


IN  A  NET  325 

not  love  him.  I  have  told  my  father  so,  but  he  says  that  it  is 
not  to  be  expected  that  a  young  maid  should  love  until  after 
marriage." 

"And  you  have  promised?"  Philip  asked. 

"Yes,  I  have  promised,"  she  said  simply.  "It  is  the  duty 
of  a  daughter  to  obey  her  father,  especially  when  that  father  is 
as  good  and  kind  as  mine  has  always  been  to  me.  There,  he 
is  beckoning  to  me;  "  and  rising,  she  crossed  the  room. 

Philip,  a  few  minutes  later,  took  his  departure  quietly. 
Francois  de  Laville  came  in  an  hour  afterwards  to  their 
lodgings. 

"Well,  Philip,  I  did  not  see  you  leave  the  count's.  Did 
you  hear  the  news  before  you  left?  The  count  announced  it 
shortly  after  you  had  gone." 

"His  daughter  told  me  herself,"  Philip  said. 

"I  am  sorry,  Philip.  I  had  thought,  perhaps — but  it  is  of 
no  use  talking  of  that  now." 

"Not  the  least  in  the  world,  Francois.  It  is  natural  that 
her  father  should  wish  her  to  marry  a  noble  of  his  own  prov- 
ince. She  has  consented,  and  there  is  no  more  to  be  said. 
When  is  Henri  to  arrive  ?  We  are  all  to  ride  out  to  meet  him 
and  to  follow  him  into  Paris.  I  hope  that  it  will  all  pass  off 
well." 

"Why,  of  course  it  will.  What  is  to  prevent  it?  The 
wedding  will  be  the  grandest  ever  known  in  Paris.  I  hear 
that  Henri  brings  with  him  seven  hundred  Huguenot  gentle- 
men, and  a  hundred  of  us  here  will  join  him  under  the 
Admiral.  It  will  be  a  brave  sight." 

"I  wish  it  was  all  over." 

"Why,  it  is  not  often  you  are  in  low  spirits,  Philip.  Is 
it  the  news  that  has  upset  you,  or  have  you  heard  anything 
else?" 

"No;  but  Pierre  has  been  croaking  and  prophesying  evil, 
and  although  I  in  no  way  agree  with  him,  it  has  still  made  me 
uneasy." 

"Why,  what  is  there  to  fear?"  Francois  said  laughing; 
"not  the  mob  of  Paris;  surely  they  would  never  venture  to 
brave  the  king's  anger  by  marring  the  nuptials  by  disorder; 
and  if  they  did,  methinks  that  eight  hundred  of  us,  with 


326  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Coligny  at  our  head,  could  cut  our  way  through  the  mob  of 
Paris  from  one  end  of  the  city  to  the  other." 

The  entrance  of  the  King  of  Navarre  into  Paris  was  indeed 
an  imposing  sight.  Coligny  with  his  train  had  joined  him 
outside  the  town,  and  the  Admiral  rode  on  one  side  of  the 
young  king  and  the  Prince  of  Cond^  on  the  other.  With  them 
rode  the  Dukes  of  Anjou  and  Alencon,  who  had  ridden  out 
with  a  gay  train  of  nobles  to  welcome  Henri  in  the  king's 
name,  and  escort  him  into  the  city.  The  Huguenots  were  still 
in  mourning  for  the  late  queen,  but  the  sumptuous  materials 
of  their  dress  set  off  by  their  gold  chains  and  ornaments  made 
a  brave  show  even  by  the  side  of  the  gay  costumes  of  the 
prince's  party. 

The  betrothal  took  place  at  the  Louvre  on  the  iyth  of  August, 
and  was  followed  by  a  supper  and  a  ball;  after  the  conclusion 
of  the  festivities  Marguerite  was,  in  accordance  with  the 
custom  of  the  princesses  of  the  blood,  escorted  by  her  brothers 
and  a  large  retinue  to  the  Bishops'  Palace  adjoining  the 
Cathedral,  to  pass  the  night  before  her  wedding  there.  The 
ceremony  upon  the  following  day  was  a  most  gorgeous  one. 
The  king,  his  two  brothers,  Henri  of  Navarre,  and  Conde  were 
all  dressed  alike  in  light  yellow  satin  embroidered  with  silver, 
and  enriched  with  precious  stones.  Marguerite  was  in  a  violet 
velvet  dress  embroidered  with  fleurs  de  Us,  and  she  wore  on 
her  head  a  crown  glittering  with  gems.  The  queen  and  the 
queen-mother  were  dressed  in  cloth  of  gold. 

Upon  a  lofty  platform  in  front  of  the  Cathedral  of  Notre 
Dame,  Henri  of  Navarre  with  his  train  of  Protestant  lords 
awaited  the  coming  of  the  bride,  who  was  escorted  by  the  king 
and  all  the  members  of  his  court.  The  ceremony  was  per- 
formed in  sight  of  an  enormous  concourse  of  people  by  the 
Cardinal  Bourbon,  who  used  a  form  that  had  been  previously 
agreed  upon  by  both  parties.  Henri  then  led  his  bride  into 
the  Cathedral,  and  afterwards  with  his  Protestant  companions 
retired  to  the  Episcopal  Palace  while  mass  was  being  said. 
When  this  was  over  the  whole  party  sat  down  to  dinner  in  the 
Episcopal  Palace. 

In  the  evening  an  entertainment  was  given  in  the  Louvre 
to  the  notabilities  of  Paris,  and  after  supper  there  was  a 


IN  A  NET  327 

masque  of  the  most  lavish  magnificence.  On  Tuesday, 
Wednesday,  and  Thursday  there  was  a  continuation  of  pag- 
eants and  entertainments.  During  these  festivities  the  king 
had  shown  marked  courtesy  to  the  Admiral  and  the  Huguenot 
lords,  and  it  seemed  as  if  he  had  again  emancipated  himself 
from  his  mother's  influence,  and  the  hopes  of  the  Protestants 
that  he  would  shortly  declare  war  with  Spain  were  raised  to  the 
highest  point. 

Although  the  question  was  greatly  debated  at  the  time,  and 
the  belief  that  the  massacre  of  the  Protestants  was  deliber- 
ately planned  long  beforehand  by  the  king  and  queen-mother 
is  still  generally  entertained,  the  balance  of  evidence  is 
strongly  the  other  way. 

What  dark  thoughts  may  have  passed  through  the  scheming 
brain  of  Catharine  de  Medici  none  can  say,  but  it  would  cer- 
tainly appear  that  it  was  not  until  after  the  marriage  of  Henri 
and  Marguerite  that  they  took  form.  She  was  driven  to  bay. 
She  saw  that  in  the  event  of  a  war  with  Spain  the  Huguenots 
would  become  all-powerful  in  France.  Already  the  influence 
of  the  Admiral  was  greater  than  her  own,  and  it  had  become 
a  battle  of  life  and  death  with  her,  for  Coligny,  in  his  fearless 
desire  to  do  what  was  right,  and  for  the  service  of  France, 
was  imprudent  enough  over  and  over  again  to  warn  the  king 
against  the  evil  influence  of  the  queen-mother  and  the  Duke 
d'Anjou,  and  Charles  in  his  fits  of  temper  did  not  hesitate  to 
divulge  these  counsels.  The  Duke  d'Anjou  and  his  mother, 
therefore,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  Coligny  must  be  put 
out  of  the  way.  The  duke  afterwards  did  not  scruple  to  avow 
his  share  in  the  preparations  for  the  massacre  of  Saint  Bar- 
tholomew. 

The  Duchess  of  Nemours,  her  son  Henry  of  Guise,  and  her 
brother-in-law  the  Due  d'Aumale,  were  taken  into  their  coun- 
sels, and  the  plan  was  speedily  settled.  Few  as  were  the 
conspirators  taken  into  the  confidence  of  the  queen-mother, 
mysterious  rumours  of  danger  reached  the  ears  of  the  Hugue- 
nots. Some  of  these  taking  the  alarm  left  Paris  and  made  for 
their  estates,  but  by  far  the  greater  portion  refused  to  believe 
that  there  could  be  danger  to  those  whom  the  king  had  invited 
to  be  present  upon  such  an  occasion.  In  another  week, 


328  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Coligny  would  be  leaving,  having,  as  he  hoped,  brought  the 
king  entirely  round  to  his  views,  and  the  vast  majority  of  the 
Huguenot  gentlemen  resolved  to  stay  until  he  left. 

Pierre  grew  more  and  more  serious.  Francois  had  left  the 
lodgings,  being  one  of  the  Huguenot  gentlemen  whom  Henri 
of  Navarre  had  chosen  to  lodge  with  him  at  the  Louvre. 

"  You  are  getting  quite  unbearable,  Pierre,  with  your  long 
face  and  your  grim  looks,"  Philip  said  to  him  on  the  Friday 
morning,  half  in  joke  and  half  in  earnest.  "Why,  man, 
in  another  week  we  shall  be  out  of  Paris  and  on  our  way 
south." 

"I  hope  so,  Monsieur  Philip,  with  all  my  heart  I  hope  so; 
but  I  feel  just  as  I  used  to  do  when  I  was  a  boy  living  in  the 
woods,  and  I  saw  a  thunder-cloud  working  up  overhead.  I 
cannot  tell  you  why  I  feel  so,  it  is  something  in  the  air.  I 
wish  sir,  oh,  so  much!  that  you  would  leave  at  once." 

"That  I  cannot  do,  Pierre.  I  have  no  estates  that  demand 
my  attention,  no  excuse  whatever  for  going.  I  came  here 
with  my  cousin,  and  shall  leave  with  him." 

"Well,  sir,  if  it  must  be,  it  must." 

"  But  what  is  that  you  fear,  Pierre?  " 

"When  one  is  in  a  town,  sir,  with  Catharine  de  Medici, 
and  her  son  Anjou,  and  the  Guises,  there  is  always  something 
to  fear.  Guise  is  the  idol  of  the  mob  of  Paris,  who  have  always 
shown  themselves  ready  to  attack  the  Huguenots.  He  has 
but  to  hold  up  his  finger  and  they  would  be  swarming  on  us 
like  bees." 

"But  there  are  troops  in  the  town,  Pierre,  and  the  king 
would  punish  Paris  heavily  were  it  to  insult  his  guests." 

"The  king  is  a  weathercock  and  goes  whichever  way  the 
wind  blows,  monsieur — to-day  he  is  with  the  Admiral,  to- 
morrow he  may  be  with  the  Guises.  At  any  rate  I  have  taken 
my  precautions.  I  quite  understand  that  if  the  danger  is  fore- 
seen you  will  all  rally  round  the  Admiral  and  try  to  fight  your 
way  out  of  Paris.  But  if  it  comes  suddenly  there  will  be  no 
time  for  this.  At  any  hour  the  mob  may  come  surging  up  the 
streets  shouting,  as  they  have  often  shouted  before,  'Death  to 
the  Huguenots ! '  Then,  monsieur,  fighting  would  not  avail 
you.  You  would  be  unable  to  join  your  friends,  and  you 


IN  A  NET  329 

would  have  to  think  first  of  your  own  life.  I  have  been  ex- 
amining the  house,  and  I  find  that  from  an  upper  window  one 
can  gain  the  roof.  I  got  out  yesterday  evening  after  it  was 
dark,  and  found  that  I  could  easily  make  my  way  along. 
The  tenth  house  from  here  is  the  one  where  the  Count  de  Vale- 
court  lodges,  and  it  is  easy  to  gain  access  to  it  by  a  window 
in  the  roof.  There  will  be  some  of  your  friends  there,  at  any 
rate.  Or  we  can  pass  down  through  any  of  the  intervening 
houses.  In  the  three  before  we  reach  that  of  the  count  Hu- 
guenots are  lodged.  The  others  belong  to  Catholics,  but  it 
might  be  possible  to  pass  down  through  them  and  to  go  into 
the  street  unobserved.  I  have  bought  for  myself  some  rags 
such  as  are  worn  by  the  lowest  of  the  mob,  and  for  you  a 
monk's  gown  and  hood.  These  I  have  placed  securely  against 
a  chimney  on  our  roof.  I  have  also,  monsieur,"  and  Pierre's 
eyes  twinkled,  "bought  the  dress  of  a  woman  of  the  lower 
class,  thinking  that  there  might  be  some  lady  you  might  be 
desirous  of  saving." 

"You  frighten  me,  Pierre,  with  your  roofs  and  your  dis- 
guises," Philip  said,  looking  with  wonder  at  his  follower. 
"Why,  man,  this  is  a  nightmare  of  your  own  imagination." 

"It  may  be  so,  master.  If  it  is,  no  harm  is  done;  I  have 
laid  out  a  few  crowns  uselessly,  and  there  is  an  end  of  it.  But 
if  it  should  not  be  a  nightmare,  but  a  real  positive  danger, 
you  would  at  least  be  prepared  for  it,  and  those  few  crowns 
may  be  the  saving  of  our  lives." 

Philip  walked  up  and  down  the  room  for  some  time. 

"  At  any  rate,  Pierre,  you  have  acted  wisely.  As  you  say 
the  cost  is  as  nothing;  and  though  my  reason  revolts  against 
a  belief  in  this  nightmare  of  yours,  I  am  not  such  a  fool  as  to 
refuse  to  pay  any  attention  to  it.  I  know  that  you  are  no 
coward,  and  certainly  not  one  to  indulge  in  wild  fancies. 
Let  us  go  a  step  farther.  Suppose  that  all  this  should  turn 
out  true,  and  that  you,  I,  and — and  some  lady  are  in  disguise 
in  the  midst  of  a  howling  mob  shouting,  'Death  to  the 
Huguenots ! '  What  should  we  do  next  ?  Where  should  we 
go?  It  seems  to  me  that  your  disguise  for  me  is  a  badly 
chosen  one.  As  a  monk,  how  could  I  keep  with  you  as  a 
beggar,  still  less  with  a  woman?  " 


330  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"When  I  bought  the  monk's  robe  I  had  not  thought  of  a 
woman,  monsieur;  that  was  an  after-thought.  But  what  you 
say  is  just.  I  must  get  you  another  disguise.  You  shall  be 
dressed  as  a  butcher  or  a  smith." 

"Let  it  be  a  smith,  by  all  means,  Pierre;  besides,  it  would 
be  safer.  I  would  smear  my  face  with  dirt.  I  should  get 
plenty  on  my  hands  from  climbing  over  the  roofs.  Let  us 
suppose  ourselves,  then,  in  the  mob.  What  should  we  do 
next?" 

"That  would  all  depend,  sir,  whether  the  soldiers  follow 
the  Guises  and  take  part  with  the  mob  in  their  rising.  If  so 
Paris  would  be  in  a  turmoil  from  end  to  end,  and  the  gates 
closed.  I  have  thought  it  all  over  again  and  again,  and  while 
your  worship  has  been  attending  the  entertainments  I  have 
been  walking  about  Paris.  If  it  is  at  night  I  should  say  we 
had  best  make  for  the  river,  take  a  boat  and  drift  down,  or 
else  make  for  the  walls  and  lower  ourselves  by  a  rope  from 
them.  If  it  is  in  the  day  we  could  not  do  that,  and  I  have 
found  a  hovel,  at  present  untenanted,  close  to  the  walls,  and 
we  could  wait  there  until  night." 

"You  will  end  by  making  me  believe  this,  Pierre,"  Philip 
said  angrily,  as  he  again  walked  up  and  down  the  room  with 
impatient  steps.  "  If  you  had  a  shadow  of  foundation  for 
what  you  say,  even  a  rumour  that  you  had  picked  up  in  the 
street,  I  would  go  straight  to  the  Admiral.  But  how  could  I 
go  and  say,  'My  servant,  who  is  a  faithful  fellow,  has  taken  it 
into  his  head  that  there  is  danger  from  an  attack  on  us  by  the 
mob. '  What  think  you  the  Admiral  would  say  to  that  ?  He 
would  say  that  it  was  next  door  to  treason  to  imagine  such 
things,  and  that  if  men  were  to  act  upon  such  fancies  as  these 
they  would  be  fit  only  for  hospitals  for  the  insane.  Moreover, 
he  would  say  that  even  if  you  had  evidence,  even  if  you  had 
something  to  show  that  treachery  was  meant,  he  would  still, 
in  the  interest  of  France,  stay  at  his  post  of  duty." 

At  this  moment  the  door  opened,  and  Francois  de  Laville 
entered  hurriedly. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Francois?"  Philip  exclaimed,  see- 
ing that  his  cousin  looked  pale  and  agitated. 

" Have  you  not  heard  the  news?  " 


IN  A   NET  331 

"  I  have  heard  nothing.     I  have  not  been  out  this  morning." 

"The  Admiral  has  been  shot." 

Philip  uttered  an  exclamation  of  horror.  "Not  killed, 
Francois;  not  killed,  I  trust?" 

"No;  two  balls  were  fired,  one  took  off  a  finger  of  his  right 
hand,  and  another  has  lodged  in  his  left  arm.  He  had  just 
left  the  king,  who  was  playing  at  tennis,  and  was  walking 
homewards  with  two  or  three  gentlemen,  when  an  arquebus 
was  fired  from  a  house  not  far  from  his  own.  Two  of  the 
gentlemen  with  him  assisted  him  home,  while  some  of  the 
others  burst  in  the  door  of  the  house.  They  were  too  late; 
only  a  woman  and  a  man-servant  were  found  there.  The 
assassin  had  fled  by  the  back  of  the  house,  where  a  horse  was 
standing  in  waiting.  It  is  said  that  the  house  belongs  to  the 
old  Duchess  of  Guise.  It  is  half  an  hour  since  the  news 
reached  the  palace,  and  you  may  imagine  the  consternation 
it  excited.  The  king  has  shut  himself  up  in  his  room, 
Navarre  and  Conde"  are  in  deep  grief,  for  they  both  regard  the 
Admiral  almost  as  a  father;  as  for  the  rest  of  us,  we  are  furi- 
ous. There  is  a  report  that  the  man  who  was  seen  galloping 
away  from  the  house  from  which  the  shot  was  fired  was  that 
villain  Maurevel,  who  so  treacherously  shot  De  Mouy,  and  was 
rewarded  by  the  king  for  the  deed.  It  is  also  said  that  a 
groom  in  the  livery  of  Guise  was  holding  the  horse  when  the 
assassin  issued  out.  Navarre  and  Conde"  have  gone  to  Coligny; 
the  king's  surgeon  is  dressing  his  wounds." 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  TOCSIN 

AS  soon  as  Francois  had  finished  his  account  of  the  at- 
tempted assassination  of  the  Admiral,  he  and  Philip 
sallied  out,  the  latter  having  hastily  armed  himself. 

"I  must  go  back  to  the  Louvre,"  Francois  said,  "and  take 
my  place  by  the  King  of  Navarre.  He  is  going  to  see  the 
king,  and  to  demand  permission  to  leave  Paris  at  once. 
Conde"  and  La  Rochefoucault  are  going  to  see  the  king  as  soon 
as  they  return  from  the  Admiral's,  for  the  same  purpose,  as  it 
is  evident  their  lives  are  not  safe  here." 

Philip  made  his  way  to  the  Admiral's  house  in  the  Rue  de 
Bethisy.  Numbers  of  Huguenot  gentlemen  were  hurrying  in 
that  direction,  all,  like  himself,  armed,  and  deeply  moved 
with  grief  and  indignation,  for  Coligny  was  regarded  with  a 
deep  affection  as  well  as  reverence  by  his  followers.  Each  as 
he  overtook  others  eagerly  inquired  the  news,  for  as  yet  most 
of  them  had  learned  nothing  beyond  vague  rumours  of  the 
affair.  Philip's  account  of  it  increased  their  indignation. 
So  it  was  no  act  of  a  mere  fanatic,  but  the  work  of  the  Guises, 
and  probably  of  Catharine  and  Anjou.  In  a  short  time 
between  two  and  three  hundred  gentlemen  were  gathered  in 
the  courtyard  and  ante-chamber  of  Coligny 's  house.  Some 
walked  up  and  down  silent  and  stern;  others  gathered  in 
groups  and  passionately  discussed  the  matter.  This  was  an 
attack  not  only  upon  the  Admiral  but  upon  the  Huguenots  in 
general.  It  was  the  work  of  the  Guises,  ever  the  deadliest  foes 
of  the  reformed  faith,  the  authors  of  every  measure  taken 

332 


THE  TOCSIN  333 

against  them,  the  cause  of  all  the  blood  that  had  been  shed  in 
the  civil  wars.  One  thing  was  certain,  all  must  leave  Paris 
and  prepare  for  a  renewal  of  the  war;  but  it  was  equally  cer- 
tain they  could  not  leave  until  the  Admiral  was  fit  to  be 
moved. 

"Truly  he  is  a  saint,"  said  one  of  the  gentlemen  who  had 
come  down  from  the  room  where  Coligny  was  lying.  "  He 
suffered  atrociously  in  the  hands  of  the  surgeon,  for  he  had 
come  without  his  instruments,  and  amputated  Coligny 's  fin- 
gers with  a  dagger  so  blunt  that  it  was  only  on  the  third 
attempt  that  he  succeeded.  Merlin,  his  minister,  was  by  his 
side,  with  several  of  his  most  intimate  friends.  We  were  in 
tears  at  the  sight  of  our  noble  chief  thus  traitorously  struck 
down.  He  turned  to  us  and  said  calmly,  'My  friends,  why  do 
you  weep?  As  for  me  I  deem  myself  happy  at  having  thus 
received  wounds  for  the  sake  of  God.'  Then  he  said  that 
most  sincerely  he  forgave  the  man  who  wounded  him  and 
those  who  had  instigated  him  to  make  the  attack,  knowing  for 
certain  that  it  was  beyond  their  power  to  hurt  him,  for  even 
should  they  kill  him  death  would  be  a  certain  passage  to  life." 

An  hour  later  Frangois  arrived. 

"  The  prince  has  seen  the  king,  Philip.  He  is  furious,  and 
has  sworn  that  he  will  inflict  the  most  signal  punishment  upon 
the  authors  and  instigators  of  the  crime :  Coligny  had  received 
the  wound,  but  he  himself  most  felt  the  smart.  The  King  of 
Navarre  told  me  he  was  sure  that  Charles  was  deeply  in  ear- 
nest. He  feels  it  in  a  threefold  sense :  first,  because  it  is  the 
renewal  of  the  troubles  that  he  had  hoped  had  been  put  an  end 
to;  in  the  second  place,  because  Coligny  is  his  guest;  and, 
lastly,  because  he  has  the  greatest  respect  and  confidence  in 
him,  not  only  believing  in  his  wisdom,  but  knowing  that  his 
counsel  is  always  sincere  and  disinterested.  He  is  coming  to 
visit  the  Admiral  himself  this  afternoon,  Philip.  It  is  no 
use  our  staying  here.  There  is  nothing  to  be  done  and  no 
prospect  of  seeing  the  Admiral." 

As  they  moved  towards  the  entrance  to  the  courtyard  the 
Count  de  Valecourt  joined  them. 

"I  have  just  left  the  Admiral,"  he  said;  "he  is  easier,  and 
the  king's  surgeon  is  of  opinion  that  he  will  recover  from  his 


334  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

wounds,  and  possibly  may  be  fit  to  travel  in  a  litter  in  another 
week." 

"That  is  good  news  indeed,"  Francois  said,  "for  the  sooner 
we  are  all  out  of  Paris  the  better." 

"There  is  no  doubt  of  that,"  the  count  agreed;  "but  as  all 
say  that  the  king  is  furious  at  this  attack  upon  the  Admiral, 
I  do  not  think  the  Guises  dare  strike  another  blow  for  some 
time.  Still,  I  shall  be  glad  indeed  when  we  can  set  forth. 
It  is  certain  we  cannot  leave  the  Admiral  here.  The  villains 
who  are  responsible  for  the  attempt  will  be  furious  at  its  fail- 
ure, and  next  time  they  may  use  the  weapon  to  which  they  are 
most  accustomed — poison.  Even  if  the  king  himself  begged 
him  to  stay  at  the  Louvre  until  cured,  Catharine  de  Medici  is 
there,  and  I  would  not  trust  him  under  the  same  roof  with  her 
for  all  my  estates.  We  have  been  talking  it  over,  and  all 
agree  that  we  must  wait  until  he  can  be  moved.  Inconstant 
as  Charles  is,  there  can  be  no  fear  of  a  change  in  his  friendly 
intentions  now.  He  has  already  closed  all  the  gates  of  Paris 
save  two,  and  everyone  who  goes  in  or  out  is  closely  questioned 
and  has  to  show  his  papers." 

By  this  time  they  had  arrived  at  the  door  of  the  count's 
dwelling. 

"Come  in,  monsieur,"  he  said;  "my  daughter  is  terribly 
upset  at  this  attack  upon  the  Admiral,  for  whom  she  has  a 
profound  reverence,  and,  were  she  a  Catholic,  would,  I  doubt 
not,  make  him  her  patron  saint." 

"How  is  he,  father?"  Claire  asked  eagerly,  as  they  entered 
the  room. 

"He  is  better,  Claire;  the  king's  physician  thinks  he  has 
every  chance  of  recovering." 

"God  be  praised!"  she  said  earnestly;  "it  would  indeed 
have  been  a  terrible  day  for  us  all  had  the  assassin  taken  his 
life,  and  it  would  have  seemed  a  mark  of  Heaven's  anger  at 
this  marriage  of  the  Protestant  king  with  a  Catholic  princess. 
What  says  King  Charles?  " 

"  He  is  as  angry  as  any  of  us,  and  declares  that  the  assassin 
and  those  who  abetted  him  shall  be  punished  in  the  severest 
manner.  He  has  visited  the  Admiral  and  expressed  his  grief 
and  indignation  to  him." 


THE  TOCSIN  33- > 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  be  back  in  Dauphiny,  father.  This  city 
with  its  wickedness  and  its  violence  is  hateful  to  me." 

"  We  shall  go  soon,  dear.  The  doctor  hopes  that  in  a  week 
the  Admiral  will  be  well  enough  to  be  moved  in  a  litter,  and 
we  shall  all  accompany  him." 

"A  week  is  a  long  time,  father;  so  much  may  happen  in  a 
week." 

"There  is  no  fear  of  anything  happening,  Claire.  You 
must  not  let  this  sad  business  affect  your  nerves.  The  anger 
of  the  king  is  so  great  that  you  may  be  sure  none  will  attempt 
to  repeat  this  stroke.  What  think  you,  Monsieur  de  Laville  ?  " 

"I  agree  with  you  altogether,  count." 

"And  you,  Monseur  Philip? " 

"  I  see  no  cause  for  fear,  count,  and  yet  I  feel  sure  that  it 
would  be  well  to  take  every  precaution.  I  acknowledge  that 
I  have  no  grounds  whatever  for  my  fear :  I  have  been  infected 
by  my  lackey,  who  is  generally  the  lightest-hearted  and  most 
reckless  fellow,  but  who  has  now  turned  croaker  and  fears  a 
sudden  rising  of  the  mob  of  Paris,  instigated  thereto  by  the 
Guises." 

"Has  he  heard  anything  to  favour  such  an  idea,  or  is  it 
merely  born  of  to-day's  outrage?  " 

"  No,  I  think  he  has  heard  nothing  specific,  though  he  may 
have  caught  up  vague  threats  in  wandering  through  the  streets." 

"Why,  that  is  not  like  you,"  the  count  said  smiling,  "who 
have  been  through  so  many  fights  and  dangerous  adventures, 
to  be  alarmed  at  a  shadow." 

"  No,  count,  I  do  not  think  that  I  am  given,  any  more  than 
is  my  lackey,  to  sombre  thoughts;  but  I  own  that  he  has 
infected  me,  and  I  would  that  some  precautions  could  be 
taken." 

"Precautions  of  what  kind,  Monsieur  Philip?" 

"I  have  not  thought  them  out,"  Philip  said;  "but  were  I 
the  next  in  rank  to  the  Admiral  I  would  enjoin  that  a  third  of 
our  number  should  be  under  arms  night  and  day,  and  should 
at  night  patrol  our  quarters;  secondly,  that  a  rally  ing-place 
should  be  appointed,  say  at  the  Admiral's,  to  which  all  should 
mount  and  ride  directly  an  alarm  is  given." 

"The  first  part  could  hardly  be  managed  here,"  the  count 


336  ST,  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

said  gravely.  "It  would  seem  that  we  doubted  the  royal 
assurances  of  good  faith  and  his  promises  of  protection.  We 
have  enemies  enough  about  the  king's  ear,  and  such  a  pro- 
ceeding would  be  surely  misrepresented  to  him.  You  know 
how  wayward  are  his  moods,  and  that  it  would  need  but  a 
slight  thing  to  excite  his  irritation  and  undo  all  the  good  that 
the  Admiral  has  effected." 

Two  or  three  other  Huguenot  gentlemen  now  entered,  and 
a  general  conversation  on  the  state  of  affairs  took  place. 
Philip  was  standing  a  little  apart  from  the  others  when  Claire 
came  up  to  him. 

"You  really  believe  in  danger,  Monsieur  Philip?" 

"Frankly  I  do,  mademoiselle.  The  population  hate  us. 
There  have  been  Huguenot  massacres  over  and  over  again  in 
Paris.  The  Guises  are  doubtless  the  instigators  of  this  attack 
on  the  Admiral;  they  are  the  idols  of  the  Paris  mob,  and  if 
they  gave  the  word  it  would  at  once  rise  against  us.  As  I  told 
your  father,  I  have  no  real  reason  for  uneasiness,  but  never- 
theless I  am  uneasy." 

"Then  the  danger  must  be  real,"  the  girl  said  simply. 
"Have  you  any  advice  to  give  me? " 

"Only  this.  You  have  but  a  week  to  stay  here  in  Paris. 
During  that  time  make  excuses  so  as  not  to  stir  abroad  in  the 
streets  more  than  you  can  help;  and  in  the  second  place  I 
would  say,  lie  down  in  your  clothes  at  night,  so  as  to  be  in 
readiness  to  rise  instantly." 

"  I  will  do  that,"  she  said.     "There  is  nothing  else?  " 

"Nothing  that  I  can  think  of.  I  hope  and  trust  that  the 
emergency  will  not  come ;  but  at  any  rate,  until  it  does  come, 
we  can  do  no  more." 

A  few  minutes  later  Philip  and  his  cousin  took  their  leave; 
the  former  went  back  to  his  lodgings,  the  latter  to  the  Louvre. 
Philip  was  surprised  at  not  finding  Pierre,  and  sat  up  later  than 
usual  expecting  his  return,  but  it  was  not  till  he  was  rising 
next  morning  that  the  man  made  his  appearance. 

"  Why,  where  have  you  been  all  night?  "  Philip  asked  angrily, 
"This  is  not  the  time  for  pleasure." 

"  I  have  been  outside  the  walls,  master,"  Pierre  said. 

"What  in  the  world  did  you  go  there  for,  Pierre?" 


THE  TOCSIN  337 

"Well,  sir,  I  was  here  when  M.  de  Laville  brought  in  the 
news  of  the  shooting  of  the  Admiral.  This  seemed  to  me  to 
bear  out  all  that  I  have  said  to  you.  You  hurried  away  with- 
out my  having  time  to  speak  to  you,  so  I  took  it  upon  myself 
to  act." 

" In  what  way,  Pierre?  " 

"I  went  straight  to  the  stables,  sir,  and  took  one  of  your 
honour's  chargers  and  my  horse,  and,  riding  one  and  leading 
the  other,  passed  out  through  the  gate  before  the  orders  came 
about  closing.  I  rode  them  to  a  village  six  miles  away,  and 
put  them  up  at  a  small  inn  there  and  left  them  in  the  land- 
lord's charge.  I  did  not  forget  to  tell  the  stable-boy  that  he 
should  have  a  crown  for  himself  if  on  my  return  I  found  the 
horses  in  as  good  condition  as  I  left  them.  Then  I  walked 
back  to  Paris,  and  found  a  crowd  of  people  unable  to  enter, 
and  learned  that  the  gates  had  been  closed  by  the  king's 
order.  I  went  off  to  St.  Denis,  and  there  bought  a  long  rope 
and  an  iron  hook;  and  at  two  in  the  morning,  when  I  thought 
that  any  sentries  there  might  be  on  the  walls  would  be  drowsy, 
came  back  again  to  Paris,  threw  up  my  hook,  and  climbed 
into  one  of  the  bastions  near  the  hut  we  had  marked.  There 
I  slept  until  the  morning,  and  now  you  see  me.  I  have  taken 
out  the  horses,  so  that,  should  you  be  obliged  to  fly,  there 
would  be  means  of  escape.  One  charger  will  suffice  for  your 
wants  here,  and  to  ride  away  upon  if  you  go  out  with  the 
Huguenot  company,  whether  peacefully  or  by  force  of  arms. 
As  for  me,  I  would  make  my  way  there  on  foot,  get  the  horses, 
and  rejoin  you." 

"  It  was  a  good  idea,  Pierre,  and  promptly  carried  out.  But 
no  one  here  has  much  thought  of  danger,  and  I  feel  ashamed 
of  myself  at  being  the  only  one  to  feel  uneasy." 

"The  wise  man  is  uneasy  while  the  fool  sleeps,"  Pierre  said. 
"  If  the  Prince  of  Cond^  had  been  uneasy  the  night  before 
Jarnac  he  would  not  have  lost  his  life,  and  we  should  not  have 
lost  a  battle.  No  harm  has  been  done.  If  danger  does  come, 
\ve  at  least  are  prepared  for  it." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  Pierre.  However  surely  he  may  count 
upon  victory,  a  good  general  always  lays  his  plans  in  case  of 
defeat.  At  any  rate,  we  have  prepared  for  everything." 


338  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Pierre  muttered  something  to  himself. 

"What  do  you  say,  Pierre?" 

"  I  was  only  saying,  master,  that  I  should  feel  pretty  confi- 
dent of  our  getting  away  were  there  only  our  two  selves  to 
think  of.  What  with  our  disguises,  and  what  with  your  hon- 
our's strong  arm — and  what  I  can  do  to  back  you — and  what 
with  our  being  on  our  guard,  it  would  be  hard  if  we  did  not 
make  our  way  safe  off.  But  I  foresee  that,  should  there  be 
trouble,  it  is  not  of  your  own  safety  you  will  be  thinking." 

"Mademoiselle  de  Valecourt  is  engaged  to  the  Sieur  de 
Pascal,"  Philip  said  gravely. 

"So  I  heard  from  one  of  the  count's  lackeys;  but  there  is 
many  a  slip  between  the  cup  and  the  lip,  and  in  such  days  as 
these  there  is  many  an  engagement  that  never  becomes  a  mar- 
riage. I  guessed  how  it  would  be  that  night  after  you  had 
saved  Mademoiselle  Claire's  life,  and  I  thought  so  still  more 
when  we  were  staying  at  Valecourt." 

"Then  your  thoughts  ran  too  fast,  Pierre.  Mademoiselle 
de  Valecourt  is  a  great  heiress,  and  the  count  should,  of  course, 
give  her  in  marriage  to  one  of  his  own  rank." 

Pierre  shrugged  his  shoulders  almost  imperceptibly. 

"Your  honour  is  doubtless  right,"  he  said  humbly;  "and 
therefore,  seeing  that  she  has  her  father  and  Monsieur  de 
Pascal  to  protect  her,  we  need  not  trouble  more  about  those 
articles  of  attire  stowed  away  on  the  roof  above,  but  shall  be 
able  to  concern  ourselves  solely  with  our  own  safety,  which 
puts  a  much  better  complexion  on  the  affair." 

"The  whole 'matter  is  ridiculous,  Pierre,"  Philip  said 
angrily,  "and  I  am  a  fool  to  have  listened  to  you.  There, 
go  and  see  about  breakfast,  or  I  shall  lose  my  patience  with 
you  altogether." 

There  were  several  consultations  during  the  day  between 
the  leading  Huguenots.  There  was  no  apparent  ground  for 
suspicion  that  the  attack  upon  the  Admiral  had  been  a  part  of 
any  general  plot,  and  it  was  believed  that  it  was  but  the  out- 
come of  the  animosity  of  the  Guises  and  the  queen-mother 
against  a  man  who  had  long  withstood  them,  who  was  now 
higher  than  themselves  in  the  king's  confidence,  and  who  had 
persuaded  him  to  undertake  an  enterprise  that  would  range 


THE  TOCSIN  339 

France  on  the  side  of  the  Protestant  powers.  The  balance  of 
evidence  is  all  in  favour  of  the  truth  of  this  supposition,  and 
to  the  effect  that  it  was  only  upon  the  failure  of  their  scheme 
against  the  Admiral  that  the  conspirators  determined  upon  a 
general  massacre  of  the  Huguenots.  They  worked  upon  the 
weak  king's  mind  until  they  persuaded  him  that  Coligny  was 
at  the  head  of  a  plot  against  himself,  and  that  nothing  short  of 
his  death  and  those  of  his  followers  could  procure  peace  and 
quiet  for  France.  At  last,  in  a  sudden  access  of  fury,  Charles 
not  only  ranged  himself  on  their  side,  but  astonished  Catha- 
rine, Anjou,  and  their  companions  by  going  even  farther  than 
they  had  done,  and  declaring  that  every  Huguenot  should  be 
killed. 

This  sudden  change,  and  his  subsequent  conduct  during  the 
few  months  that  remained  to  him  of  life,  seem  to  point  to  the 
fact  that  this  fresh  access  of  trouble  shattered  his  weak  brain, 
and  that  he  was  not  fairly  responsible  for  the  events  that  fol- 
lowed, the  guilt  of  which  rests  wholly  upon  Catharine  de  Medici, 
Henry  of  Anjou,  and  the  leaders  of  the  party  of  the  Guises. 

Philip  spent  a  considerable  portion  of  the  day  at  the  Louvre 
with  Henri  of  Navarre,  Francois  de  Laville,  and  a  few  of  the 
young  king's  closest  followers.  There  was  no  shadow  of  dis- 
quiet in  the  minds  of  any  of  them.  The  doctors  reported  that 
the  Admiral's  state  was  favourable;  and  although  all  would 
have  been  glad  to  be  on  their  way  south,  they  regarded  the 
detention  of  a  few  days  as  a  matter  of  little  importance. 

Listening  to  their  talk  about  the  court  entertainments  and 
pleasures,  Philip  quite  shook  off  his  uneasiness",  and  was  angry 
with  himself  for  having  listened  to  Pierre's  prognostications 
of  evil.  "All  these  Huguenot  lords  know  France  and  the 
Parisians  better  than  I  do,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  No  thought 
of  danger  occurs  to  them.  It  is  not  even  thought  necessary 
that  a  few  of  them  should  take  up  their  abode  at  the  Admiral's. 
They  have  every  faith  in  the  king's  protestations  and  pledges 
for  their  safety."  Philip  dined  at  the  Louvre,  and  it  was  ten 
o'clock  before  he  returned  to  his  lodging.  He  was  in  excel- 
lent spirits,  and  saluted  Pierre  with  the  laughing  inquiry : 

"Well,  bird  of  ill  omen,  what  fresh  plottings  have  you 
discovered?" 


340  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"You  do  not  believe  me,  master,  when  I  tell  you,"  Pierre 
said  gravely. 

"Oh,  then,  there  is  something  new?"  Philip  said,  seating 
himself  on  a  couch.  "  Let  me  kear  all  about  it,  Pierre,  and  I 
will  try  not  to  laugh." 

"Will  you  descend  with  me  to  the  door,  Monsieur  Philip?  " 

"Assuredly  I  will  if  it  will  please  you,  though  what  you  are 
going  to  show  me  there  I  cannot  imagine." 

Pierre  led  the  way  downstairs  and  out  through  the  door. 

"Do  you  see  that,  sir?" 

"Yes,  I  see  that,  Pierre." 

"What  do  you  take  it  to  be,  sir?  " 

"Well,  it  is  not  too  dark  to  see  what  it  is,  Pierre.  It  is  a 
small  white  cross  that  some  urchin  has  chalked  on  the  door." 

"Will  you  please  to  walk  a  little  farther,  sir?  There  is  a 
cross  on  this  door.  There  is  none  here,  neither  on  the  next. 
Here  you  see  another,  and  then  a  door  without  one.  Now, 
sir,  does  not  that  strike  you  as  curious?  " 

"Well,  I  don't  know,  Pierre.  A  boy  might  very  well  chalk 
some  doors  as  he  went  along  and  leave  others  untouched." 

"Yes,  sir.  But  there  is  one  very  remarkable  thing;  I  have 
gone  on  through  several  streets,  and  it  has  always  been  the 
same — so  far  as  I  can  discover  by  questioning  the  concierges 
— at  every  house  in  which  Huguenots  are  lodging  there  is  a 
white  cross  on  the  door,  in  the  houses  that  are  not  so  marked 
there  are  no  Huguenots." 

"That  is  strange,  certainly,  Pierre,"  Philip  said,  struck  alike 
by  the  fact  and  by  the  earnestness  with  which  Pierre  expressed 
it.  "Are  you  quite  sure  of  what  you  say?  " 

"I  am  quite  sure,  sir.  I  returned  here  at  nine  o'clock  and 
saw  this  mark  on  our  door.  I  did  not  pay  much  heed  to  it, 
but  went  upstairs.  Then,  as  I  thought  it  over,  I  said  to 
myself,  Is  this  a  freak  of  some  passer-by,  or  is  it  some  sort  of 
signal?  Then  I  thought  I  would  see  whether  our  house  alone 
was  marked,  or  whether  there  were  crosses  on  other  doors.  I 
went  to  the  houses  of  several  gentlemen  of  our  party,  and  on 
each  of  their  doors  was  a  white  cross.  Then  I  looked  farther 
and  found  that  other  houses  were  unmarked.  At  some  of  these 
I  knocked  and  asked  for  one  or  other  of  your  friends.  In  each 


THAT   CROSS    IS    PLACED   THERE   BY    DESIGN.' 


THE  TOCSIN  341 

case  I  heard  that  I  was  mistaken,  for  that  no  Huguenots  were 
lodging  there.  It  is  evident,  sir,  that  this  is  not  a  thing  of 
chance,  but  that  these  crosses  are  placed  there  by  design." 

Philip  went  down  the  street  and  satisfied  himself  that  Pierre 
had  spoken  correctly,  and  then  returned  to  his  lodgings,  paus- 
ing, however,  before  the  house  of  the  Count  de  Valecourt,  and 
erasing  the  cross  upon  it.  He  entered  his  own  door  without 
touching  the  mark,  but  Pierre,  who  followed  him  in,  rubbed 
the  sleeve  of  his  doublet  across  it  unnoticed  by  his  master,  and 
then  followed  him  upstairs.  Philip  seated  himself  thought- 
fully. 

"  I  like  not  these  marks,  Pierre.  There  may  be  nothing  of 
importance  in  them;  some  fanatic  may  have  taken  the  trouble 
to  place  these  crosses  upon  our  doors,  cursing  us  as  he  did  so. 
But  at  the  same  time  I  cannot  deny  that  they  may  have  been 
placed  there  for  some  set  purpose,  of  which  I  am  ignorant. 
Hitherto  there  has  been  nothing  whatever  to  give  any  founda- 
tion to  your  fancies,  but  here  is  at  least  something  tangible, 
whatever  it  may  mean.  What  is  your  own  idea?  " 

"My  own  idea  is,  sir,  that  they  intend  to  arrest  all  the 
Admiral's  followers,  and  that  the  king,  while  speaking  us  fair, 
is  really  guided  by  Catharine,  and  has  consented  to  her  plans 
for  the  capture  of  all  the  Huguenot  lords  who  have  come  into 
this  trap." 

"  I  cannot  believe  that  such  an  act  of  black  treachery  can 
be  contemplated,  Pierre.  All  Europe  would  cry  out  against 
the  king  who,  inviting  numbers  of  his  nobles  to  the  marriage 
of  his  sister,  seized  that  occasion  for  imprisoning  them." 

"  It  may  not  be  done  by  him,  sir.  It  may  be  the  work  of 
the  Guises'  agents  among  the  mob  of  Paris,  and  that  they 
intend  to  massacre  us  as  they  did  at  Rouen  and  a  score  of 
other  places,  and  as  they  have  done  here  in  Paris  more  than 
once." 

"That  is  as  hard  to  believe  as  the  other,  Pierre.  My  own 
supposition  is  by  far  the  most  probable,  that  it  is  the  work  of 
some  fanatic ;  but  at  any  rate  we  will  be  on  the  watch  to-night. 
It  is  too  late  to  do  anything  else,  and  were  I  to  go  round  to 
our  friends  they  would  mock  at  me  for  paying  any  attention 
to  such  a  trifle  as  a  chalk  mark  on  a  door.  I  own  that  I  think 


342  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

it  serious,  because  I  have  come,  in  spite  of  my  reason,  to 
believe  somewhat  in  your  forebodings;  but  no  one  else  seems 
to  entertain  any  such  fears."  Opening  the  casement,  Philip 
seated  himself  there.  "Do  you  lie  down,  Pierre.  At  two 
o'clock  I  will  call  you,  and  you  shall  take  my  place." 

Pierre  went  out,  but  before  lying  down  he  again  went 
quietly  downstairs,  and  with  a  wet  cloth  entirely  eiased  the 
mark  from  the  door,  and  then  placing  his  sword  and  his  pistols 
ready  at  hand  lay  down  on  his  pallet.  At  one  o'clock  Philip 
aroused  him. 

"There  is  something  unusual  going  on,  Pierre.  I  can  see  a 
light  in  the  sky  as  of  many  torches,  and  can  hear  a  confused 
sound  as  of  the  murmur  of  men.  I  will  sally  out  and  see  what 
it  is." 

Placing  his  pistols  in  his  belt  and  taking  his  sword  he 
wrapped  himself  in  his  cloak,  and  followed  by  Pierre,  also 
armed,  went  down  into  the  street.  As  he  went  along  he  over- 
took two  men.  As  he  passed  under  a  lamp  one  of  them 
exclaimed,  "Is  that  you,  Monsieur  Fletcher?"  He  turned. 
It  was  the  Sieur  de  Pascal. 

"  It  is  I,  Monsieur  de  Pascal.  I  was  going  out  to  learn  the 
meaning  of  those  lights  over  there." 

"That  is  just  what  I  am  doing  myself.  As  the  night  is  hot, 
I  could  not  sleep,  so  I  threw  open  my  window  and  saw  those 
lights,  which  were,  as  it  appeared  so  me,  somewhere  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Admiral's  house,  and  I  thought  it  was  as 
well  to  see  what  they  meant." 

As  they  went  along  they  came  upon  men  with  lighted  torches, 
and  saw  that  in  several  of  the  streets  groups  of  men  with 
torches  were  silently  standing. 

"What  is  taking  place?"  the  Sieur  de  Pascal  asked  one  of 
the  men. 

"  There  is  going  to  be  a  night  masque  and  a  mock  combat 
at  the  Louvre,"  the  man  said. 

"It  is  strange  I  heard  nothing  about  it  at  the  Louvre," 
Philip  said  as  they  proceeded  on  their  way.  "  I  was  with  the 
King  of  Navarre  up  to  ten  o'clock,  and  had  anything  been 
known  of  it  by  him  or  the  gentlemen  with  him  I  should  have 
been  sure  to  have  heard  of  it." 


THE  TOCSIN  343 

They  were  joined  by  two  or  three  other  Huguenot  gentle- 
men, roused  by  the  unusual  light  and  talking  in  the  street,  and 
they  proceeded  together  to  the  Louvre.  Large  numbers  of 
torches  were  burning  in  front  of  the  palace,  and  a  body  of 
soldiers  was  drawn  up  there. 

"The  man  was  right,"  the  Sieur  de  Pascal  said.  "There  is 
evidently  some  diversion  going  on  here." 

As  they  approached  they  saw  a  movement  in  front,  and  then 
three  or  four  men  ran  towards  them. 

"Why,  De  Vignes,"  De  Pascal  exclaimed  as  the  first  ran  up, 
"what  is  the  matter?" 

" That  I  do  not  know,"  De  Vignes  said.  "  I  was  roused  half 
an  hour  ago  by  the  lights  and  noise,  and  came  down  with  De 
la  Riviere,  Maurepas,  Castellon,  and  De  Vigors,  who  lodges 
with  me,  to  see  what  it  was  about.  As  we  approached  the 
soldiers  they  began  to  jeer  at  us  in  a  most  insolent  manner. 
Naturally  we  replied,  and  threatened  to  report  them  to  their 
officers,  when  the  insolent  varlets  drew  and  ran  at  us.  Maure- 
pas has,  as  you  see,  been  wounded  by  a  halbert,  and  as  we  five 
could  not  give  battle  to  that  crowd  of  soldiers  we  ran  for  it. 
I  shall  lay  the  matter  before  La  Rochefoucauld,  and  request 
him  to  make  a  complaint  to  the  king.  What  can  we  do  now, 
gentlemen?" 

"  I  see  not  that  we  can  do  anything,"  De  Pascal  said.  "We 
have  heard  that  these  torch-light  gatherings  are  part  of  a  plan 
for  a  sham  attack  on  a  castle,  or  something  of  that  sort,  for  the 
amusement  of  the  king.  Doubtless  the  soldiers  are  gathered 
for  that  purpose.  We  cannot  arouse  La  Rochefoucauld  at 
this  hour  of  the  night,  that  is  certain;  so  I  see  nothing  to  do 
but  to  go  home  and  wait  till  morning." 

"You  do  not  think,"  Philip  said,  "that  there  is  any  possi- 
bility of  a  general  attack  upon  us  being  intended." 

"  What !  an  attack  got  up  at  the  Louvre  under  the  very  eyes 
of  the  king,  who  is  our  firm  friend?  You  are  dreaming,  Mon- 
sieur Fletcher." 

"I  have  one  suspicious  fact  to  go  upon,"  Philip  said 
quietly,  and  then  related  the  discovery  of  the  crosses  upon  the 
doors. 

The  others,  however,  were  absolutely  incredulous  that  any 


344  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

treachery  could  be  intended,  and  after  talking  for  a  short  time 
longer,  they  returned  to  their  lodgings. 

"What  is  to  be  done  now,  Pierre?  " 

"  I  should  say  we  had  better  search  farther,  sir.  If  there  is 
any  harm  intended,  the  mob  of  Paris  will  be  stirring.  Let  us 
go  down  towards  the  Hotel  de  Ville;  that  is  always  the  cen- 
tre of  mischief.  If  all  is  quiet  there,  it  may  be  that  this  story 
is  correct,  and  that  it  is  really  only  a  court  diversion.  But 
that  does  not  explain  why  the  street  should  be  lighted  up  near 
the  Admiral's." 

"It  does  not,  Pierre." 

After  they  had  passed  another  group  of  men  with  torches, 
Pierre  said,  "  Did  you  notice,  sir,  that  each  of  those  men  had 
a  piece  of  white  stuff  bound  round  his  arm,  and  that  it  was  the 
same  with  those  we  passed  before  ?  If  there  is  any  mischief 
intended,  we  should  be  more  likely  to  learn  what  it  is  if  we 
were  to  put  on  the  same  badge." 

"The  idea  is  a  good  one,  Pierre;  "  and  Philip  took  out  his 
handkerchief,  tore  it  in  two,  and  handing  half  of  it  to  Pierre, 
fastened  the  other  round  his  arm.  As  they  went  along  they 
met  men  with  torches  or  lanterns,  moving  in  the  same  direc- 
tion as  themselves.  All  wore  white  handkerchiefs  or  scarves 
round  their  arms.  Philip  became  more  and  more  anxious  as 
they  went  on,  and  regretted  that  he  had  not  returned  to  his 
lodgings  and  renewed  his  watch  there.  However,  a  few  min- 
utes' walking  took  them  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  The  square 
in  front  of  the  building  was  faintly  illuminated  by  a  few 
torches  here  and  there,  and  by  large  cressets  that  blazed  in 
front  of  the  Hotel.  The  light,  however,  was  sufficient  to  show 
a  dense  body  of  men  drawn  up  in  the  square,  and  the  ruddy 
light  of  the  flames  flashed  from  helmet,  lance-point,  and  axe. 

"What  think  you  now,  Monsieur  Philip?  There  must  be 
eight  or  ten  thousand  men  here,  I  should  say  all  the  city  bands 
under  their  captains." 

As  they  paused  a  citizen  officer  came  up  to  them.  "All  is 
ready,  your  excellency.  I  do  not  think  that  a  man  is  absent 
from  his  post.  The  orders  remain  unchanged,  I  suppose?  " 

"Quite  unchanged,"  Philip  said  briefly,  seeing  that  in  the 
faint  light  he  was  mistaken  for  someone  else. 


THE  TOCSIN  345 

"And  the  bell  is  to  be  the  signal  for  beginning?  " 

"I  believe  there  has  been  a  change  in  that  respect,"  Philip 
said ;  "  but  you  will  hear  that  later  on.  I  am  only  here  to  see 
that  all  is  in  readiness." 

"  Everything  has  been  done  as  ordered,  your  excellency. 
The  gates  are  closed,  and  will  not  be  opened  except  to  one 
bearing  special  orders  under  the  king's  own  seal.  The  boats 
have  all  been  removed  from  the  wharves.  There  will  be  no 
escape." 

Philip  repressed  a  strong  impulse  to  run  the  man  through 
the  body,  and  only  said : 

"Good.     Your  zeal  will  not  be  forgotten." 

Then  he  turned  and  walked  away.  They  had  gone  but  a 
few  paces  when,  in  the  distance,  the  report  of  a  pistol  was 
heard. 

"Too  late!"  he  exclaimed  in  passionate  regret.  "Come, 
Pierre,"  and  he  broke  into  a  rapid  run.  Several  times  groups 
of  men  came  out  from  bye-streets  at  the  sound  of  the  rapid 
footsteps,  but  Philip  exclaimed,  "  Away  there !  I  am  on  urgent 
business  for  Anjou  and  Guise."  The  men  fell  back  at  once 
in  each  case,  not  doubting  from  the  badges  on  the  arms, 
which  they  could  make  out  in  the  darkness,  that  Philip  was 
bearing  some  important  order. 

"To  the  Admiral's  first,"  he  said  to  Pierre.  "It  is  there 
they  will  surely  begin."  But  as  they  entered  the  Rue  de 
Bethisy,  he  saw  a  number  of  men  pouring  out  from  the  Ad- 
miral's house  with  drawn  swords  and  waving  their  torches 
over  their  heads.  By  the  light  Philip  could  make  out  Henry 
of  Guise  and  Henry  of  Valois  with  their  attendants  and 
soldiers. 

"  We  are  too  late  here,  Pierre.  The  Admiral  has  doubtless 
been  murdered;  his  confidence  in  the  king's  word  has  un- 
done him."  Coligny,  indeed,  had  refused  the  offer  of  many 
Protestant  gentlemen  to  spend  the  night  in  the  house,  and 
even  Teligny  his  son-in-law  had  gone  to  his  own  lodgings  a 
short  distance  away.  He  had  with  him  only  his  chaplain 
Merlin,  the  king's  surgeon,  three  gentlemen  and  four  or  five 
servants;  while  in  the  court  below  were  five  of  the  King  of 
Navarre's  Swiss  guards.  The  Admiral  had  been  awakened  by 


346  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

the  increasing  noise  without,  but  entertained  no  alarm  what- 
ever. Suddenly  a  loud  knocking  was  heard  at  the  outer  gate, 
and  a  demand  for  entrance  in  the  king's  name. 

The  Admiral  directed  one  of  the  gentlemen  named  Le 
Bonne  to  go  down  and  unbar  the  gate.  As  he  did  so,  Cos- 
seins,  an  officer  of  Anjou's  household,  rushed  in,  followed  by 
fifty  soldiers,  and  stabbed  Le  Bonne  to  the  heart.  The  sol- 
diers had  been  despatched  by  the  king  himself  under  pretence 
of  guarding  the  Huguenots,  and  twelve  hundred  arquebusiers 
had  also  been  posted  under  the  same  pretext  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. The  faithful  Swiss  defended  the  inner  door,  and 
when  driven  back,  defended  for  a  time  a  barricade  hastily 
thrown  upon  the  stairs.  One  of  the  Huguenot  gentlemen 
rushed  into  the  Admiral's  room  with  the  news  that  the  gate 
had  been  forced.  The  Admiral  calmly  replied,  "  I  have  kept 
myself  for  a  long  time  in  readiness  for  death.  Save  yourselves 
if  you  can.  It  would  be  hopeless  for  you  to  attempt  to  save 
my  life." 

In  obedience  to  his  orders,  all  who  were  with  him,  save  a 
German  interpreter,  fled  to  the  roof  and  made  their  escape  in 
the  darkness.  The  barricade  was  carried,  and  a  German 
named  Besme,  a  follower  of  the  Duk^  of  Guise,  was  the  first 
to  rush  into  the  Admiral's  room.  Coligny  was  calmly  seated 
in  a  chair,  and  Besme  struck  him  two  blows  with  his  sword, 
while  those  following  despatched  him. 

Guise  was  waiting  in  the  courtyard  below;  when  he  heard 
that  the  Admiral  was  killed  he  ordered  the  body  to  be  thrown 
out  of  the  window.  When  he  recognized  that  it  was  indeed 
the  body  of  the  Admiral,  he  gave  it  a  brutal  kick,  while  one 
of  his  followers  cut  off  the  head,  and  then  Guise  called  upon 
the  soldiers  to  follow  him,  saying,  "  We  have  begun  well,  let 
us  now  see  to  the  others,  for  so  the  king  commands." 

As  Philip  turned  from  the  spot  the  bell  of  the  church  of 
Saint  Germain  1'Auxerrois  peeled  forth,  and  shouts  instantly 
rose  from  all  quarters.  As  he  reached  the  street  in  which  he 
lodged  Philip  saw  that  it  was  already  half  full  of  armed  men, 
who  were  shouting  "Death  to  the  Huguenots!"  and  were 
hammering  at  many  of  the  doors.  He  fell  at  once  into  a  walk 
and  made  his  way  through  them  unmolested,  the  white  badge 


THE  TOCSIN  347 

on  his  arm  seeming  to  guarantee  that  he  was  a  friend.  He 
passed  his  own  door  and  made  for  that  of  the  Count  de 
Valecourt.  A  combat  was  going  on  in  front  of  it,  and  by 
the  light  of  the  torches  Philip  saw  De  Pascal  defending  him- 
self bravely  against  a  host  of  enemies.  Sword  in  hand,  Philip 
sprang  forward.  But  before  he  could  make  his  way  through 
the  soldiers  a  musket  shot  rang  out  and  De  Pascal  fell  dead. 
Philip  drew  back. 

"To  our  own  house,  Pierre,"  he  exclaimed  to  his  lackey, 
who  was  keeping  close  behind  him;  "we  can  do  nothing  here, 
and  the  door  may  resist  for  a  few  minutes."  There  was  no 
one  in  front  of  the  entrance,  though  at  all  the  doors  marked 
with  a  white  cross  the  soldiers  were  hammering  with  the  butts 
of  their  arquebuses.  They  slipped  in,  pushed  the  bars  across, 
ran  upstairs  and  made  their  way  on  to  the  roof  and  climbed 
along  it  until  they  reached  the  window  of  the  house  in  which 
De  Valecourt  lodged;  felt  their  way  across  the  room  till  they 
discovered  the  door,  issued  out,  and  as  soon  as  they  found 
the  staircase  ran  down.  Already  there  was  a  turmoil  below. 
A  light  streamed  out  from  a  door  of  the  count's  apartments 
on  the  first  floor.  Philip  ran  in.  Claire  de  Valecourt  was 
standing  with  one  hand  resting  on  the  table  deadly  pale  but 
quiet.  She  was  fully  dressed. 

"Where  is  your  father?"  Philip  exclaimed. 

"He  has  gone  down  with  the  servants  to  hold  the  stairs." 

"I  will  join  him,"  Philip  said.  "Pierre  will  take  care  of 
you;  he  knows  what  to  do.  We  will  follow  you.  Quick,  for 
your  own  sake  and  your  father's." 

"I  cannot  go  and  leave  him." 

"  You  will  do  him  no  good  by  staying,  and  delay  may  cost 
us  all  our  lives.  You  must  go  at  once,  if  you  do  not,  at  the 
risk  of  your  displeasure  I  must  carry  you." 

"I  will  go,"  she  said.  "You  saved  me  before,  and  I  trust 
you." 

"Trust  Pierre  as  you  would  trust  me,"  he  said.  "Now, 
Pierre,  take  her  hand  and  hurry  her  upstairs."  The  clash  of 
swords  mingled  with  shouts  and  oaths  were  heard  below,  and 
Philip,  as  he  saw  Pierre  turn  with  Claire  de  Valecourt,  ran 
down.  On  the  next  landing  the  count  with  four  servjng  men 


348  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

was  defending  himself  against  the  assault  of  a  crowd  of  armed 
men  who  were  pushing  up  the  staircase.  Others  behind  them 
held  torches,  while  some  of  those  engaged  in  the  fray  held  a 
torch  in  one  hand  and  a  sword  in  the  other. 

"Ah,  is  it  you,  Monsieur  Fletcher?"  the  count  said  as 
Philip  placed  himself  beside  him,  felling  one  of  the  foremost 
of  the  assailants  as  he  did  so  with  a  sweeping  blow. 

"  It  is  I,  count.  My  house  is  not  attacked,  and  I  have  sent 
off  your  daughter  in  charge  of  my  man  to  gain  it  along  the 
roofs.  We  will  follow  them  as  soon  as  we  can  beat  back  these 
villains." 

"The  king's  troops  must  arrive  shortly,"  the  count  said. 

"The  king's  troops  are  here,"  Philip  said.  "This  is  done 
by  his  orders,  and  all  Paris  is  in  arms.  The  Admiral  has 
already  been  murdered." 

The  count  gave  a  cry  of  fury  and  threw  himself  upon  his 
assailants.  His  companions  did  the  same,  and  step  by  step 
drove  them  backward  down  the  stairs.  There  was  a  cry  below 
of  "Shoot  them  down!"  and  a  moment  later  three  or  four 
arquebuses  flashed  out  from  the  hall.  The  count,  without  a 
word,  pitched  forward  among  the  soldiers,  and  two  of  the 
retainers  also  fell.  Then  the  crowd  surged  up  again.  Philip 
fought  desperately  for  a  time.  Another  shot  rang  out,  and  he 
felt  a  sudden  smart  across  his  cheek.  He  turned  and  bounded 
up  the  stairs,  paused  a  moment  at  the  top  and  discharged  his 
two  pistols  at  the  leaders  of  the  assailants,  pulled  to  the  door 
of  the  count's  chamber,  leaving  the  corridor  in  darkness,  and 
then  sprang  up  the  stairs.  When  he  reached  the  door  of  the 
unused  room  by  which  they  had  entered  he  fastened  it  behind 
him,  got  through  the  window  and  closed  it  after  him,  and  then 
rapidly  made  his  way  along  the  roofs  until  he  reached  his 
own.  Closing  and  fastening  the  casement  he  ran  down  to 
his  room.  Claire  was  standing  there  with  Pierre  by  her  side. 
She  gave  a  low  cry  as  he  entered  alone. 

"My  father!  "  she  exclaimed. 

"God  has  taken  him,"  Philip  said,  "as  He  has  taken  many 
others  to-night.  He  died  painlessly,  mademoiselle,  by  a  shot 
from  below." 

Claire  sank  into  a  chair  and  covered  her  face  with  her 


THE  TOCSIN  349 

hands.  "His  will  be  done,"  she  said  in  a  low  but  firm  voice 
as  she  looked  up  a  minute  later.  "  We  are  all  in  His  hands 
and  can  die  but  once.  Will  they  soon  come? " 

"I  trust  not,"  Philip  said;  "they  may  follow  along  the 
roof  when  they  cannot  find  us  in  any  of  the  rooms,  but  they 
will  have  no  clue  as  to  which  house  we  have  entered." 

"I  will  remain  here  and  wait  for  them,"  she  said. 

"Then,  mademoiselle,  you  will  sacrifice  our  lives  as  well 
as  your  own,  for  assuredly  we  shall  not  leave  you.  Thus  far 
we  have  escaped,  and  if  you  will  follow  my  directions  we  may 
all  escape  together.  Still,  if  you  wish  it  we  can  die  here 
together." 

"What  is  to  be  done? "  she  asked,  standing  up. 

Pierre  handed  Philip  a  bundle. 

"I  brought  them  down  as  I  passed,"  he  said. 

"This  is  a  disguise,"  Philip  said,  handing  it  to  the  girl. 
"  I  pray  you  to  put  it  on  at  once.  We  also  have  disguises, 
and  will  return  in  them  in  a  few  minutes." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

ESCAPE 

THIS  is  awful,  Pierre,"  Philip  said,  as  he  hurriedly  assumed 
the  disguise  the  latter  had  prepared.  The  clamour  out- 
side was  indeed  terrible.  The  bell  of  St.  Germain  1'Auxerrois 
was  still  sounding  its  signal,  but  mingled  with  it  were  a  thou- 
sand sounds  of  combat  and  massacre,  the  battering  of  ham- 
mers and  axes  upon  doors,  the  discharges  of  arquebuses  and 
pistols,  the  shouts  of  men  and  the  loud  screams  of  women. 
Pierre  glanced  out  of  the  window.  With  the  soldiers  were 
mingled  a  crowd  from  the  slums  of  Paris,  who,  scenting  car- 
nage from  the  movements  of  the  citizen  troops,  had  waited  in 
readiness  to  gather  the  spoil,  and  had  arrived  on  the  spot  as 
if  by  magic  as  soon  as  the  first  signal  of  alarm  told  them  that 
the  work  of  slaughter  had  begun. 

"Can  we  get  out  behind,  think  you,  Pierre?"  Philip  asked 
as  he  joined  him. 

"  I  will  see,  sir.  One  could  scarce  sally  out  here  without 
being  at  once  seized  and  questioned.  Doubtless  a  watch  was 
placed  in  the  rear  at  first,  but  the  soldiers  would  be  likely  to 
make  off  to  join  in  the  massacre  and  get  their  share  of  plun- 
der as  soon  as  the  affair  began.  You  will  do,  sir,  as  far  as 
the  dress  goes,  but  you  must  smear  your  face  and  arms;  they 
are  far  too  white  at  present,  and  would  be  instantly  noticed." 

Philip  rubbed  is  hands,  blackened  by  his  passage  across  the 
roofs,  over  his  face  and  arms,  and  then  joined  Claire,  who 
started  as  he  entered. 

"I  did  not  know  you,"  she  said.  "Come;  are  we  ready? 

350 


PHILIP,   CLAIRE,   AND    PIERRE   DISGUISE   THEMSELVES. 


ESCAPE  351 

it  were  surely  better  to  die  at  once  than  to  listen  to  these 
dreadful  sounds." 

"One  moment.  Pierre  will  return  directly;  he  has  gone 
to  see  whether  the  lane  behind  the  houses  is  clear.  Once 
fairly  away,  and  our  course  will  be  easier." 

Pierre  returned  almost  immediately.     "The  way  is  clear." 

"Let  us  go,  then,  mademoiselle." 

"One  moment,  monsieur.  Let  us  pray  before  we  start; 
we  may  have  no  time  there."  And  standing  with  upturned 
face  she  prayed  earnestly  for  protection. 

" Lead us,  O  God"  she  concluded,  "through  the  strife  and 
turmoil,  as  Thou  didst  the  holy  men  of  old  through  the  dangers 
of  the  lions  and  the  furnace.  But  if  it  be  Thy  will  that  we 
should  die,  then  do  we  commend  our  souls  to  Thee,  in  the  sure 
faith  that  we  are  but  passing  through  death  into  life.  — Now  I 
am  ready,"  she  said,  turning  to  Philip. 

"You  cannot  go  like  this,  Mademoselle  Claire,"  Pierre  said 
reverently.  "  Of  what  good  would  that  disguise  be  to  you  when 
your  face  would  betray  you  in  the  darkest  street.  You  must 
ruffle  your  hair,  and  pull  that  hood  over  your  face  so  as  to 
hide  it  as  much  as  possible." 

The  girl  walked  across  to  a  mirror. 

"I  would  I  could  take  my  sword,  Pierre,"  said  Philip. 

"Take  it,  sir;  strap  it  boldly  round  your  waist.  If  anyone 
remarks  on  it,  laugh,  and  say  it  was  a  Huguenot's  half  an  hour 
ago.  I  will  carry  mine  stuck  under  my  arm.  Use  as  few 
words  as  may  be,  if  you  have  to  speak,  and  speak  them  gruffly, 
or  they  will  discover  at  once  that  you  are  no  smith.  I  fear 
not  for  ourselves.  We  can  play  our  parts — fight  or  run  for 
it.  It  is  that  angel  I  fear  for." 

"  God  will  protect  her,  Pierre.  Ah !  They  are  knocking  at 
the  door,  and  the  women  of  the  house  may  be  coming  down 
to  open  it." 

"Not  they,  sir.  You  maybe  sure  they  are  half -mad  with 
terror.  Not  one  has  shown  herself  since  the  tumult  began. 
The  landlord  and  his  two  sons  are  doubtless  with  the  city 
bands.  Like  enough  they  have  led  some  of  their  fellows  here, 
or  why  should  they  attack  the  door,  as  it  is  unmarked?  " 

Claire  joined  them  again.     They  hurried  downstairs  and 


352  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

then  out  by  the  back  entrance  into  a  narrow  lane.  Philip 
carried  a  heavy  hammer  on  his  shoulder.  Pierre  had  a  large 
butcher's  knife  stuck  conspicuously  in  his  girdle.  He  was 
bare-headed  and  had  dipped  his  head  in  water,  so  that  his 
hair  fell  matted  across  his  face,  which  was  grimy  and  black. 

Day  was  now  breaking,  but  the  light  was  as  yet  faint. 
"Keep  close  to  me,  Claire,"  Philip  said  as  they  reached  the 
street,  which  was  ablaze  with  torches.  "Above  all  things  do 
not  shrink  or  seem  as  if  you  were  afraid." 

"I  am  not  afraid,"  she  said.  "God  saved  me  before  from 
as  great  a  peril,  and  will  save  me  again  if  it  seems  good  to 
Him." 

"Keep  your  eyes  fixed  on  me;  pay  no  attention  to  what  is 
going  on  around  you." 

"I  will  pray,"  she  said  simply. 

Just  as  they  entered  the  street  the  crowd  separated,  and  the 
Duke  of  Guise,  followed  by  several  nobles  of  his  party,  rode 
along,  shouting: 

"Death  to  all  Huguenots!  it  is  the  king's  command." 

"It  is  the  command  you  and  others  have  put  into  his 
mouth,  villain !  "  Philip  muttered  to  himself. 

A  roar  of  ferocious  assent  rose  from  the  crowd,  which  was 
composed  of  citizen  soldiers  and  the  scum  of  Paris.  They 
danced  and  yelled,  and  uttered  ferocious  jests  at  the  dead 
bodies  lying  in  the  road.  Here  the  work  of  slaughter  was 
nearly  complete.  Few  of  the  Huguenots  had  offered  any 
resistance,  although  some  had  fought  desperately  to  the  last. 
Most  of  them,  however,  taken  by  surprise,  and  seeing  resist- 
ance useless,  had  thrown  down  their  arms,  and  either  cried 
for  quarter  or  had  submitted  themselves  calmly  to  slaughter. 
Neither  age  nor  sex  had  availed  to  save  them;  women  and 
children,  and  even  infants  had  been  slain  without  mercy. 

The  soldiers,  provided  with  lists  of  the  houses  inhabited 
by  Huguenots,  were  going  round  to  see  that  none  had  escaped 
attack.  Many  in  the  crowd  were  attired  in  articles  of  dress 
that  they  had  gained  in  the  plunder.  Ragged  beggars  wore 
cloaks  of  velvet  or  plumed  hats.  Many  had  already  been 
drinking  heavily.  Women  mingled  in  the  crowd,  as  ferocious 
and  merciless  as  the  men. 


ESCAPE  353 

"Break  me  in  this  door,  friend,"  an  officer,  with  a  list  in 
his  hand  and  several  soldiers  standing  beside  him,  said  to 
Philip. 

The  latter  did  not  hesitate;  to  do  so  would  have  brought 
destruction  on  himself  and  those  with  him,  without  averting  for 
more  than  a  minute  or  two  the  fate  of  those  within.  Placing 
himself  in  front  of  the  door,  he  swung  his  heavy  hammer  and 
brought  it  down  upon  the  woodwork.  A  dozen  blows  and  the 
door  began  to  splinter.  The  crack  of  a  pistol  sounded  above, 
and  the  officer  standing  close  to  him  fell  dead.  Four  or  five 
shots  were  fired  by  the  soldiers  at  the  window  above.  Another 
two  or  three  blows  and  the  door  gave  way.  Philip  went  aside, 
as  the  soldiers,  followed  by  a-  crowd,  rushed  in,  and  returned 
to  Claire,  who  was  standing  by  the  side  of  Pierre  a  few  paces 
away. 

"Let  us  go  on,"  he  said. 

A  few  yards  further  they  were  at  the  entrance  of  a  lane  run- 
ning north.  As  Philip  turned  into  it  a  man  caught  him  by 
the  arm. 

"Where  are  you  going,  comrade?"  he  said.  "There  is 
plenty  of  work  for  your  hammer  yet." 

"I  have  a  job  elsewhere,"  Philip  said. 

"  It  is  rare  work,  comrade.  I  have  killed  five  of  them  with 
my  own  hand,  and  I  have  got  their  purses  too,"  he  chuckled. 
"Hello!  who  is  this  girl  you  have  with  you?"  And  he 
roughly  caught  hold  of  Claire. 

Philip's  pent-up  rage  found  a  vent;  he  sprang  upon  the  man, 
seized  him  by  the  throat,  and  hurled  him  with  tremendous 
force  against  the  wall,  whence  he  fell  a  senseless  mass  on  to 
the  ground. 

"What  is  it?  "  cried  half  a  dozen  men  rushing  up. 

"A  Huguenot  in  disguise,"  Philip  said.  "You  will  find  his 
pockets  are  full  of  gold." 

They  threw  themselves  upon  the  fallen  man,  fighting  and 
cursing  to  be  the  first  to  ransack  his  pockets,  while  Philip  with 
his  two  companions  moved  up  the  lane  unnoticed.  Fifty  yards 
farther  Claire  stumbled  and  would  have  fallen  had  not  Philip 
caught  her.  Her  head  had  fallen  forward,  and  he  felt  at  once 
that  she  was  insensible.  He  placed  her  on  a  door-step  and 


354  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

supported  her  in  a  sitting  position,  Pierre  standing  by.  A 
minute  later  a  group  of  men  came  hurrying  down  the  street. 

"What  is  it?"  one  of  the  group  asked  as  he  stopped  for  a 
moment. 

"It  is  only  a  woman  squeamish,"  Pierre  said  in  a  rough 
voice.  "  She  would  come  with  us,  thinking  she  could  pick  up 
a  trinket  or  two;  but,  ma  foi,  it  is  hot  down  there,  and  she 
turned  sick.  So  we  are  taking  her  home." 

Satisfied  with  the  explanation  the  men  hurried  on. 

" Shall  I  carry  her,  Pierre?     Her  weight  would  be  nothing." 

"  Better  wait  a  few  minutes,  Monsieur  Philip,  and  see  if  she 
comes  round.  Our  story  is  right  enough  as  long  as  we  stop 
here,  but  people  might  want  to  know  more  if  they  were  to 
meet  you  carrying  a  woman." 

Some  minutes  passed,  and  then,  finding  that  Claire  remained 
unconscious,  Philip  lifted  her  on  to  his  shoulder. 

"We  will  risk  it,  Pierre.  As  long  as  we  only  meet  them 
coming  along  in  twos  or  threes  we  can  go  on  safely,  for  if  they 
are  inquisitive  I  can  set  her  down  and  speedily  silence  their 
questioning.  If  we  see  a  large  body  coming  we  can  either 
turn  down  a  side  street,  or  if  there  is  no  turning  at  hand  can 
set  her  down  again  and  answer  as  before.  Every  step  we  get 
farther  away  from  the  quarter  we  have  left  the  better." 

He  had  carried  Claire  but  a  few  hundred  yards  when  he  felt 
her  move.  He  at  once  set  her  down  again  on  a  door-step.  In 
a  few  minutes  she  was  able  to  stand,  and,  assisted  by  Philip, 
she  presently  continued  her  course  at  a  slow  pace.  Gradually 
the  movement  restored  her  strength,  and  she  said,  speaking 
for  the  first  time,  "I  can  walk  alone." 

An  hour  later  they  reached  the  hut  that  they  had  marked  out 
as  their  place  of  refuge.  Pierre  went  to  a  corner  and  drew 
out  from  under  a  heap  of  rubbish  a  large  bundle. 

"Here  is  your  cloak  and  mine,"  he  said,  "and  a  change  of 
clothes  for  each  of  us.  We  could  not  wander  about  the  country 
in  this  guise." 

Philip  laid  the  cloaks  down  to  form  a  sort  of  couch,  and 
placed  the  bundle  with  the  rest  of  the  things  in  as  a  pillow. 

"Now,  mademoiselle,"  he  said,  "you  will  be  safe  here  until 
nightfall.  First,  you  must  drink  a  glass  of  wine  and  try  and 


ESCAPE  355 

eat  something;  Pierre  brought  some  up  here  two  days  rgo. 
Then  I  hope  you  will  lie  down.  I  will  watch  outside  the  door, 
Pierre  will  go  down  into  the  town  to  gather  news." 

"I  will  take  something  presently,"  she  said.  "I  could  eat 
nothing  now." 

But  Pierre  had  already  uncorked  a  bottle,  and  Philip  advised 
her  to  drink  a  little  wine. 

"You  will  need  all  your  strength,"  he  said,  "for  we  have  a 
long  journey  before  us."  She  drank  a  few  drops. 

"  Do  not  go  yet,"  she  said;  "  I  must  speak  to  you."  Philip 
nodded  to  Pierre,  who  left  the  hut.  Claire  sat  on  the  cloaks 
for  some  minutes  in  silence. 

"I  have  been  thinking,  Monsieur  Philip,"  she  said  at  last, 
"and  it  seems  to  me  that  it  would  not  be  right  for  me  to  go 
with  you.  I  am  the  promised  wife  of  the  Sieur  de  Pascal,  and 
that  promise  is  all  the  more  sacred  since  he  to  whom  I  gave 
it " — and  she  paused — "  is  gone.  It  would  not  be  right  for 
me  to  go  with  you.  You  shall  take  me  to  the  Louvre,  where  I 
will  crave  the  protection  of  the  King  and  Queen  of  Navarre. 
Do  not  think  me  ungrateful  for  what  you  have  done  for  me. 
Twice  now  you  have  saved  my  life,  and,  and — you  understand 
me,  Philip?" 

"I  do,"  he  said,  "and  honour  your  scruples.  One  of  my 
objects  in  sending  Pierre  down  into  the  town  again  is  to  learn 
what  has  taken  place  at  the  Louvre.  It  may  be  that  this 
fiendish  massacre  has  extended  there,  and  that  even  the  King 
of  Navarre  and  the  Huguenot  gentlemen  with  him  have  shared 
the  fate  of  the  others.  Should  it  not  be  so,  it  would  be  best 
in  every  way  that  what  you  suggest  should  be  carried  out.  As 
for  the  Sieur  de  Pascal,  it  may  be  that  the  blow  that  has  bereft 
you  of  your  good  father  may  well  have  fallen  upon  him  also." 

"  But  many  will  surely  escape  as  we  have  done.  It  cannot 
be  that  all  our  friends — all  those  who  rode  in  with  the  princes 
— can  have  been  murdered." 

"Some  have  doubtless  escaped;  but  I  fear  that  the  massacre 
will  be  almost  universal,  for  it  has  evidently  been  carefully 
planned,  and  once  begun  will  extend  not  only  to  the  followers 
of  Navarre,  but  to  all  the  Protestants  within  the  walls  of 
Paris." 


356  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"  Do  you  know  aught  concerning  the  Sieur  de  Pascal  ? " 
Claire  asked,  looking  up.  Something  in  the  tone  of  his  voice 
struck  her. 

"  I  saw  him  fall,  mademoiselle.  He  had  made  for  the  door 
of  your  house,  doubtless  with  the  intention  of  joining  your 
father  in  defending  it  to  the  last,  but  the  murderers  were 
already  there.  He  was  attacked  on  the  door-step,  and  was 
surrounded  and  well-nigh  spent  when  I  saw  him.  I  tried  to 
reach  him  through  the  crowd,  but  before  I  could  do  so  he  fell. 
Then,  seeing  that  it  would  be  but  throwing  away  my  life  and 
destroying  all  chance  of  saving  yours,  I  hurried  away  to  carry 
out  the  plan  I  had  before  formed  of  making  my  way  along  the 
roofs,  and  so  entering  your  house.  Monsieur  de  Pascal  fell, 
mademoiselle,  as  a  brave  soldier,  fighting  against  a  host  of 
foes,  and  in  defence  of  yourself  and  your  father.  It  was  an 
unfortunate,  though  noble  impulse,  that  led  him  there,  for  I 
had  rubbed  out  the  mark  upon  your  door  that  served  as  a  guide 
for  the  soldiers,  and  you  and  the  count  might  have  escaped 
over  the  roof  before  any  attack  was  made,  had  not  his  pres- 
ence aroused  their  suspicions." 

Claire  had  hidden  her  face  in  her  hands  as  he  began  to 
speak,  and  he  had  kept  on  talking  in  order  to  give  her  time  to 
collect  her  feelings;  but  as  she  was  now  crying  unrestrainedly, 
he  went  quietly  out  of  the  hut  and  left  her  to  herself,  glad  that 
tears  had  come  to  her  relief  for  the  first  time.  An  hour  later 
the  door  opened  behind  him,  and  Claire  called  him  in. 

"I  am  better  now,"  she  said,  " I  have  been  able  to  cry.  It 
seemed  that  my  heart  was  frozen,  and  I  was  like  one  in  a 
terrible  nightmare.  Now  I  know  that  it  is  all  true,  and  that 
my  dear  father  is  dead.  As  for  Monsieur  de  Pascal,  I  am 
sorry  that  a  brave  soldier  has  been  killed;  but  that  is  all. 
You  know  that  I  received  him  as  my  affianced  husband  simply 
in  obedience  to  my  father's  commands,  and  that  my  heart  had 
no^art  in  it;  God  has  broken  the  tie,  and  for  that,  even  in 
this  time  of  sorrow,  I  cannot  but  feel  relief."  At  this  mo- 
ment there  was  a  knock  at  the  door,  then  the  latch  was  lifted, 
and  Pierre  entered. 

"What  is  the  news,  Pierre?  " 

"  It  is  bad,  sir.     The  king  has  in  truth  put  himself  at  the 


ESCAPE  357 

head  of  the  massacre,  and  even  in  the  Louvre  itself  several 
Huguenot  gentlemen  have  been  slain,  though  I  could  not  learn 
their  names.  It  is  said  that  some  of  them  were  slain  in  the 
presence  of  the  young  Queen  of  Navarre  in  spite  of  her 
entreaties  and  cries.  The  young  king  and  his  cousin  Conde" 
are  close  prisoners,  and  it  is  said  that  they  too  will  be  slain 
unless  they  embrace  the  Catholic  faith.  The  massacre  has 
spread  to  all  parts  of  the  town,  and  the  Huguenots  are  every- 
where being  dragged  from  their  homes  and  killed,  together 
with  their  wives  and  children.  It  is  said  that  the  bodies  of 
Coligny  and  other  Huguenot  leaders  have  been  taken  to  the 
Louvre,  arid  that  the  king  and  the  queen-mother  and  the  ladies, 
as  well  as  the  gentlemen  of  the.  court,  have  been  down  to  view 
them  and  make  a  jest  of  them.  Truly,  sir,  Paris  seems  to 
have  gone  mad.  It  is  said  that  orders  have  been  sent  to  all 
parts  of  France  to  exterminate  the  Huguenots." 

Philip  made  a  sign  to  Pierre  to  leave  the  hut.  "This  is 
terrible  news,"  he  said  to  Claire,  "and  it  is  now  clear  that  the 
Louvre  will  afford  you  no  protection.  In  these  days  no  more 
mercy  is  shown  to  women  than  to  men,  and  at  best,  or  at 
worst,  you  could  but  save  your  life  by  renouncing  your  faith." 

"I  had  already  decided,"  she  said  quietly,  "that  I  would 
not  go  to  the  Louvre.  The  death  of  Monsieur  de  Pascal  has 
altered  everything.  As  his  affianced  wife,  with  the  consent  of 
my  father,  the  king  would  hardly  have  interfered  to  have 
forced  me  into  another  marriage ;  but  being  now  free  he  would 
treat  me  as  a  ward  of  the  crown,  and  would  hand  me  and  my 
estates  to  one  of  his  favourites.  Anything  would  be  better 
than  that.  Now,  of  course,  it  is  out  of  the  question.  Estates 
I  have  none,  for,  with  the  extermination  of  our  people,  their 
estates  will  be  granted  to  others." 

"As  to  that,  mademoiselle,  they  have  been  trying  to  mas- 
sacre the  Huguenots  for  years,  and  though,  doubtless,  in  the 
towns  many  may  fall,  they  will  not  be  taken  so  readily  in  the 
country,  and  may  even  yet  rally  and  make  head  again.  Still, 
that  does  not  alter  the  present  circumstances,  and  I  see  no 
other  plan  but  that  I  had  first  formed,  for  you  to  accompany 
me  and  my  servant  in  disguise." 

The  girl  stood  hesitating,  twining  her  fingers  over  each 


358  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

other  restlessly.  "It  is  so  strange,  so  unmaidenly,"  she  mur- 
mured. 

"Then,  Claire,"  Philip  said,  taking  her  hands  in  his,  "you 
must  give  me  the  right  to  protect  you.  It  is  strange  to  speak 
of  love  at  such  a  time  as  this,  but  you  know  that  I  love  you. 
As  a  rich  heiress,  and  altogether  above  my  station,  even  had 
you  been  free  I  might  never  have  spoken;  but  now,  standing 
as  we  do  surrounded  by  dangers,  such  distinctions  are  levelled. 
I  love  you  with  all  my  heart,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  God 
Himself  has  brought  us  together." 

"It  is  surely  so,  Philip,"  she  said,  looking  up  into  his  face. 
"  Has  not  God  sent  you  twice  to  save  me  ?  Some  day  I  will 
tell  you  of  my  heart,  but  not  now,  dear — not  now.  I  am  alone 
in  the  world  save  you.  I  am  sure  that  my  father  if  he  now 
sees  us  must  approve;  therefore,  Philip,  henceforth  I  am  your 
affianced  wife,  and  am  ready  to  follow  you  to  the  end  of  the 
world."  Philip  stooped  down  and  kissed  her  gently,  then  he 
dropped  her  hands  and  she  stood  back  a  little  apart  from  him. 

"It  were  best  that  I  called  Pierre  in,"  he  said;  "even  in  this 
lonely  quarter  some  one  might  pass,  and,  seeing  him  standing 
at  the  door,  wonder  who  he  might  be."  So  saying  he  opened 
the  door  and  called  Pierre  in. 

"Pierre,"  he  said  gravely,  "Mademoiselle  de  Valecourt  is 
now  my  affianced  wife." 

"That  is  as  it  should  be,  master,"  Pierre  said;  and  then 
stepping  up  to  Claire,  who  held  out  her  hand  to  him,  he 
reverently  pressed  it  with  his  lips. 

"Mademoiselle,"  he  said,  "my  life  will  henceforth  be  at 
your  disposal  as  at  that  of  my  master.  We  may  have  dangers 
to  face,  but  if  anyone  can  get  you  through  them,  he  can." 

"Thank  you,  Pierre,"  the  girl  said;  "it  is  well,  indeed,  that 
we  should  have  with  us  one  so  faithful  and  attached  as  your- 
self." 

In  the  hours  that  passed  before  nightfall,  Philip  related  to 
Claire  how  Pierre's  warnings  had  excited  his  uneasiness,  and 
how  the  discovery  of  the  chalk  marks  on  the  doors  had  con- 
firmed him  in  his  conviction  that  some  evil  was  intended,  and 
explained  the  steps  they  had  taken  for  providing  for  an  escape 
from  the  city. 


ESCAPE  359 

"I  have  been  wondering  vaguely,  Philip,"  she  said  when  he 
had  told  the  story,  "  how  it  was  that  you  should  have  appeared 
so  suddenly,  and  should  have  a  disguise  in  readiness  for  me. 
But  how  could  you  have  guessed  that  I  should  be  ready  to  go 
with  you?  "  and  for  the  first  time  a  slight  tinge  of  colour  came 
into  her  cheeks. 

"  It  was  scarcely  a  guess,  Claire,  it  was  rather  a  despairing 
hope.  It  seemed  to  me  that  amid  all  this  terror  and  confu- 
sion I  might  in  some  way  be  able  to  rescue  you,  and  I  made 
the  only  preparation  that  seemed  possible.  I  knew  that  you 
were  aware  that  I  loved  you.  When  you  told  me  of  your 
engagement  I  felt  that  you  were  saying  farewell  to  me.  When 
I  thought  of  saving  you,  it  was  for  him  and  not  for  myself,  for 
I  knew  that  you  would  never  oppose  your  father's  wishes.  I 
did  not  dream  of  such  a  general  calamity  as  it  has  been;  I 
thought  only  of  a  rising  of  the  mob  of  Paris,  and  that  perhaps 
an  hour  or  two  in  disguise  might  be  sufficient  until  the  king's 
troops  restored  order." 

"It  is  very  wonderful,"  Claire  said  earnestly;  "it  seems 
beyond  all  doubt  that  it  is  God  Himself  who  has  thus  given 
me  to  you,  and  I  will  not  doubt  that,  great  as  the  dangers  may 
seern  to  be  before  us,  He  will  lead  us  safely  through  them. 
You  will  make  for  La  Rochelle?  " 

"Yes,  once  there  we  shall  be  safe.  You  may  be  sure  that 
there  at  least  the  cruel  orders  of  the  king  will  be  wholly  dis- 
regarded, as  we  may  hope  they  will  be  in  many  other  towns  in 
which  the  Huguenots  are  numerous;  but  at  La  Rochelle  cer- 
tainly, were  all  the  rest  of  France  in  flames,  the  people  would 
remain  steadfast.  But  I  do  not  believe  that  the  power  of  the 
Huguenots  will  be  broken.  It  may  be  that  in  the  northern 
towns  the  orders  of  the  king  will  be  carried  out,  but  from  thence 
we  have  obtained  no  aid  in  our  former  struggles.  Our  strength 
in  the  south  will  still  remain,  and  though  the  loss  of  so  many 
leaders  and  nobles  here  in  Paris  will  be  a  heavy  blow,  I  hope 
that  the  cause  of  the  faith  will  speedily  rally  from  it  and  make 
head  again,  just  as  it  did  when  all  seemed  lost  after  the  battle 
of  Moncontour." 

So  they  talked  until  night  fell,  with  Pierre  sitting  discreetly 
in  the  corner  as  far  away  as  possible,  apparently  sleeping  most 


360  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

of  the  time.  As  soon  as  it  became  perfectly  dark  the  bundle 
of  clothes  was  taken  from  the  hiding-place,  and  going  outside 
the  hut  Philip  and  Pierre  put  on  their  ordinary  attire.  Claire 
had  simply  slipped  on  the  dress  prepared  for  her  over  her  own, 
and  had  but  to  lay  it  aside.  After  partaking  of  a  meal  they 
made  their  way  to  the  nearest  steps  leading  to  the  top  of  the 
wall.  One  end  of  the  rope  was  fastened  to  the  parapet,  the 
other  was  tied  round  Claire,  and  she  was  carefully  lowered  to 
the  ground.  Philip  and  Pierre  slid  down  the  rope  after  her, 
and  they  at  once  started  across  the  country.  After  three  hours' 
walking  they  reached  the  farm  where  Pierre  had  left  the  horses. 
They  left  Claire  a  short  distance  away.  As  Pierre  had  seen 
the  horses  put  into  the  stables  he  knew  exactly  where  they 
were.  He  had,  on  leaving  them  there,  paid  for  a  week's  keep, 
saying  that  he  might  come  for  them  in  haste,  and  perhaps  at 
night,  and  if  so  he  would  saddle  and  take  them  off  without 
waking  the  farmer. 

The  horses  whinnied  with  pleasure  when  Philip  spoke  to 
them.  The  saddles  and  bridles  were  found  hanging  on  a  beam 
where  Pierre  had  placed  them,  and  in  two  or  three  minutes 
the  horses  were  led  out  ready  to  start.  Philip  had  arranged 
his  cloak  behind  his  saddle  for  Claire  to  sit  upon,  and  led  the 
horse  to  the  place  where  she  was  awaiting  them. 

"All  has  passed  off  well,"  he  said.  "No  one  in  the  farm- 
house seems  to  have  heard  a  sound." 

He  leapt  into  the  saddle.  Claire  placed  her  foot  on  his 
and  he  swung  her  up  behind  him,  and  they  then  started  at  a 
brisk  trot. 

Avoiding  all  large  towns,  and  stopping  only  at  village  inns, 
they  made  their  way  south,  making  long  journeys  each  day. 
In  the  villages  there  was  little  of  the  religious  rancour  that 
animated  the  people  in  the  towns,  and  after  the  first  two  days 
Philip  found  that  the  news  of  what  had  occurred  at  Paris  had 
not  as  yet  spread.  Eager  questions  were  asked  Pierre  as  to 
the  grand  wedding  festivities  at  Paris,  and  there  was  every- 
where a  feeling  of  satisfaction  at  a  union  that  seemed  to 
promise  to  give  peace  to  France.  Claire  was  generally  sup- 
posed to  be  Philip's  sister,  and  the  hostesses  always  did  their 
best  to  make  the  girl  with  her  pale  sad  face  as  comfortable  as 


ESCAPE  361 

possible.  Fearing  that  a  watch  might  have  been  set  at  the 
bridges  they  avoided  these,  crossing  either  by  ferry-boats  or 
at  fords.  The  Loire  was  passed  above  Orleans,  and  as  that 
city,  Blois,  and  Tours  all  lay  on  the  northern  bank,  they  met 
with  no  large  towns  on  their  way  until  they  approached  Chatel- 
lerault.  They  bore  to  the  south  to  avoid  that  city  and  Poitiers, 
and  on  the  eighth  day  after  leaving  Paris  they  reached  the 
chateau  of  Laville,  having  travelled  upwards  of  two  hundred 
miles.  As  they  crossed  the  drawbridge  Philip's  four  retainers 
met  them  at  the  gate  and  greeted  him  most  warmly. 

"Is  the  countess  in? "  he  asked  as  he  alighted. 

"She  is,  Monsieur  Philip;  she  has  been  for  some  days  at  La 
Rochelle  and  returned  yesterday.  There  are  rumours,  sir, 
that  at  Poitiers  and  Niort  the  Catholics  have  again,  in  spite 
of  the  edicts,  fallen  upon  the  Huguenots,  and  though  the 
countess  believes  not  the  tale  we  had  a  guard  posted  at  the 
gate  last  night." 

"I  am  afraid  it  is  true,  Eustace,"  Philip  said.  "Take  the 
horses  round  to  the  stables  and  see  to  them  well,  they  have 
travelled  fast."  Taking  Claire's  hand  he  led  her  up  the 
steps,  and  just  as  he  entered  the  hall  the  countess,  to  whom 
the  news  of  his  approach  had  been  carried,  met  him. 

"Aunt,"  he  said,  "I  confide  this  lady  to  your  loving  care. 
It  is  Mademoiselle  de  Valecourt,  now  my  affianced  wife.  I 
have  bad  news  to  tell  you;  but  I  pray  you  lead  her  first  to  a 
chamber,  for  she  is  sore  wearied  and  in  much  grief." 

"Francois  is  not  dead? "  the  countess  exclaimed  in  a  low 
voice,  paling  to  the  lips. 

"I  trust  not,  aunt.  I  have  no  reason  for  believing  that 
he  is." 

"I  will  wait  here,  Philip,  with  the  countess's  permission," 
Claire  said.  "  It  is  better  that  you  should  not  keep  her  in 
suspense  even  for  a  moment  on  my  account." 

"I  thank  you,  mademoiselle,"  the  countess  said  as  she  led 
the  girl  to  a  couch.  "  This  is  but  a  poor  welcome  that  I  am 
giving  you,  but  I  will  make  amends  for  it  when  I  have  heard 
what  Philip  has  to  tell  me.  Now,  Philip,  tell  me  the  worst, 
and  let  there  be  no  concealment." 

Philip  related  the  whole  story  of  the  massacre,  his  tale  being 


362  ST. 

interrupted  by  frequent  exclamations  of  horror  by  the  coun- 
tess. 

"It  seems  incredible,"  she  cried,  "that  a  king  of  France 
should  thus  dishonour  himself  alike  by  breaking  his  vows, 
disregarding  his  own  safe-conduct,  and  massacring  those  who 
had  accepted  his  hospitality.  And  Francois,  you  say,  was  at 
the  Louvre  with  the  King  of  Navarre  and  Conde,  and  even 
there  within  the  walls  of  the  royal  palace  some  of  the  king's 
guests  were  murdered;  but  more  than  this  you  know  not?  " 

"That  is  the  report  that  Pierre  gathered  in  the  street,  aunt;  it 
may  have  been  exaggerated.  Everyone  eagerly  seized  and  re- 
tailed the  reports  that  were  current.  But  even  if  true  it  may 
well  be  that  Francois  is  not  among  those  who  fell.  To  a  cer- 
tain extent  he  was  warned,  for  I  told  him  the  suspicions  and 
fears  that  I  entertained,  and  when  he  heard  the  tumult  outside 
he  may  have  effected  his  escape." 

"I  do  not  think  so,"  the  countess  said,  drawing  herself  up 
to  her  full  height.  "My  son  was  one  of  the  prince's  gentle- 
men of  the  chamber,  and  he  would  have  been  unworthy  of  his 
name  had  he  thought  first  of  his  personal  safety  and  not  of 
that  of  the  young  king." 

Philip  knew  that  this  was  so,  and  the  knowledge  had  from 
the  first  prevented  his  entertaining  any  great  hopes  of  his 
cousin's  safety.  However  he  said,  "as  long  as  there  was  a 
hope  of  his  being  of  service  to  the  prince  I  am  sure  that  Fran- 
cois would  not  have  left  him.  But  from  the  first,  aunt,  resist- 
ance was  in  vain  and  would  only  have  excited  the  assailants. 
Pierre  heard  that  in  few  cases  was  there  any  resistance  what- 
ever to  the  murderers.  The  horror  of  the  thing  was  so  great 
that  even  the  bravest,  awakened  thus  from  their  sleep,  either 
fell  without  drawing  sword  or  fled." 

"What  a  day  for  France!"  the  countess  exclaimed;  "the 
Admiral,  our  bravest  soldier,  our  greatest  leader,  a  Christian 
hero,  slaughtered  as  he  lay  wounded !  And  how  many  others 
of  our  noblest  and  best !  And  you  say  orders  have  been  sent 
over  all  France  to  repeat  this  horrible  massacre?  But  enough 
for  the  present;  I  am  forgetting  my  duties  as  hostess. 
Mademoiselle  de  Valecourt,  we  are  alike  mourners — you  for 
your  noble  father,  I  for  my  son,  both  of  us  for  France  and 


ESCAPE  363 

for  our  religion.  Yet  I  welcome  you  to  Laville.  For  you 
brighter  days  may  be  in  store.  My  nephew  is  a  gallant  gen- 
tleman, and  with  him  you  may  find  a  home  far  away  from  this 
unhappy  country.  To  me,  if  Francois  has  gone,  Philip  will 
stand  almost  in  the  light  of  a  son.  Francois  loved  him  as  a 
brother,  and  he  has  grown  very  dear  to  me,  and  gladly  shall  I 
welcome  you  as  his  wife.  Now,  come  with  me.  Philip,  I 
leave  it  to  you  to  send  round  the  news  to  the  tenants,  and  to 
see  that  all  preparations  are  made  to  leave  the  chateau  once 
again  to  the  mercy  of  our  foes,  and  to  retire  to  La  Rochelle, 
where  alone  we  can  talk  with  safety.  See  that  the  bell  is  rung 
at  once.  The  tenants  know  the  summons,  and  though  little 
expecting  danger  will  quickly  rally  here." 

Philip  at  once  went  out  into  the  courtyard,  and  in  a  minute 
the  sharp  clanging  of  the  bell  told  the  country  round  that 
danger  threatened.  The  retainers  of  the  chateau  ran  hastily 
out,  arming  themselves  as  they  went,  and  exclamations  of 
horror  and  fury  broke  from  them  as  Philip  told  them  that  the 
order  for  the  massacre  of  the  Huguenots  throughout  France 
had  gone  forth,  and  that  already  most  of  those  who  rode  to 
Paris  with  the  King  of  Navarre  had  fallen.  Then  he  repeated 
the  countess's  order,  that  upon  the  following  morning  the 
chateau  should  be  abandoned  and  all  should  ride  to  La 
Rochelle,  and  he  despatched  half  a  dozen  mounted  men  to 
warn  all  the  Huguenot  gentry  in  the  district. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  tenants  began  to  flock  in.  Although 
the  tale  that  they  heard  involved  the  destruction  of  their 
newly-built  houses,  and  the  loss  of  most  of  their  property, 
this  affected  them  but  slightly  in  comparison  with  the  news 
of  the  murder  of  Coligny  and  of  so  many  Huguenot  leaders, 
and  of  the  terrible  fate  that  would  befall  the  Huguenots  in 
every  town  in  France.  Some  wept,  others  clenched  their 
weapons  in  impotent  rage,  some  called  down  the  curses  of 
Heaven  upon  the  faithless  king,  while  some  stood  as  if  com- 
pletely dazed  at  the  terrible  news.  Philip  spoke  a  few  cheer- 
ing words  to  them. 

"  All  is  not  lost  yet,  my  friends.  Heaven  will  raise  up  fresh 
leaders  for  us.  Many  may  fall,  but  the  indignation  and  rage 
that  you  feel  will  likewise  animate  all  who,  dwelling  in  the 


364  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

country,  may  escape,  so  that  ere  long  we  shall  have  fresh 
armies  in  the  field.  Doubtless  the  first  blow  will  be  struck  at 
La  Rochelle,  and  there  we  will  meet  these  murderers  face  to 
face,  and  will  have  the  opportunity  of  proving  to  them  that 
the  men  of  the  reformed  religion  are  yet  a  force  capable  of 
resisting  oppression  and  revenging  treachery.  There  is  one 
thing:  never  again  shall  we  make  the  mistake  of  laying  down 
our  arms,  confiding  in  the  promises  and  vows  of  this  perjured 
king,  never  again  shall  we  be  cozened  into  throwing  away 
the  results  of  our  victories.  Gather  your  horses  and  cattle  as 
you  did  before.  Take  your  household  goods  in  carts,  and  at 
daybreak  send  in  here  the  waggons  that  you  have  to  provide 
in  case  of  necessity." 

At  noon  the  next  day  the  whole  of  the  occupants  of  the 
chateau  started  for  La  Rochelle.  The  tenants,  with  their 
cattle  and  horses  and  all  their  portable  property,  had  left  at 
daybreak,  and  at  nightfall  the  countess  and  her  party  came 
up  with  them.  The  encampment  was  a  large  one.  The 
women  and  children  slept  under  the  waggons,  the  men  lay 
down  by  fires  they  had  kindled,  while  a  portion  were  told  off 
to  keep  watch  over  the  animals.  The  train  had  swollen  con- 
siderably since  they  had  started.  Most  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  villages  were  Huguenots,  and  as  soon  as  these  heard  of 
the  massacres  in  Paris  and  elsewhere  they  collected  their  ani- 
mals, loaded  up  their  carts,  and  took  the  road  to  the  city  of 
refuge.  After  four  days'  travelling  they  entered  La  Rochelle. 

The  news  had  arrived  before  them,  being  brought  by  some 
of  those  who  had  escaped  the  massacre  by  being  lodged  with- 
out the  walls  of  Paris.  The  countess  and  Claire  were  re- 
ceived at  the  house  of  Monsieur  Bertram.  Philip  found  lodg- 
ings near  them,  and  the  whole  of  the  inhabitants  vied  with 
each  other  in  their  hospitable  reception  of  the  mass  of  fugi- 
tives. Claire  was  completely  prostrated  by  the  events  through 
which  she  had  passed,  and  Monsieur  Bertram's  daughter  de- 
voted herself  to  her,  tending  her  with  unwearied  care,  until, 
after  a  week  in  bed,  she  began  again  to  gather  strength.  The 
time  of  the  countess  was  entirely  occupied  in  filling  the  part 
that  had  before  been  played  by  Jeanne  of  Navarre,  holding 
consultations  with  the  town-councillors,  going  down  to  the 


ESCAPE  365 

walls  and  encouraging  the  men  who  were  labouring  there, 
and  urging  on  the  people  to  make  every  sacrifice  in  defence 
of  their  religion  and  homes.  She  herself  set  the  example  by 
pawning  her  jewels  and  selling  her  horses  and  devoting  the 
proceeds  to  the  funds  raised  for  the  defence. 

She  worked  with  feverish  activity,  as  if  to  give  herself  no 
time  for  thought.  She  was  still  without  news  of  Francois. 
Henri  of  Navarre  and  the  Prince  of  Conde"  had,  as  was  soon 
known,  been  compelled  to  abjure  their  religion  as  the  price 
of  their  lives.  She  was  convinced  that  her  son  would  have 
refused  to  buy  his  life  upon  such  conditions.  Philip,  who 
had  come  to  regard  Francois  as  a  brother,  was  equally 
anxious,  and  two  days  after  his  arrival  at  the  city  he  took 
Pierre  aside. 

"Pierre,"  he  said,  "I  cannot  rest  here  in  ignorance  of  the 
fate  of  my  cousin." 

"That  I  can  see,  master.  You  have  eaten  no  food  the  last 
two  days.  You  walk  about  at  night  instead  of  sleeping,  and 
I  have  been  expecting  every  hour  that  you  would  say  to  me, 
*  Pierre,  we  must  go  to  Paris.'  ' 

"Will  you  go  with  me,  Pierre?  " 

"How  can  you  ask  such  a  question?"  Pierre  said  indig- 
nantly. "  Of  course  if  you  go  I  go  too.  There  is  not  much 
danger  in  the  affair,  and  if  there  were,  what  then?  we  have 
gone  through  plenty  of  it  together.  It  will  not  be  now  as 
when  we  made  our  escape.  Then  they  were  hunting  down 
the  Huguenots  like  mad  dogs.  Now  they  think  they  have 
exterminated  them  in  Paris,  and  will  no  longer  be  on  the 
look-out  for  them,  it  will  be  easy  enough  to  come  and  go 
without  being  observed,  and  if  we  find  Monsieur  Francois  we 
will  bring  him  out  with  us.  The  young  count  is  not  like  you, 
monsieur.  He  is  brave,  and  a  gallant  gentleman,  but  he  is 
not  one  to  invent  plans  of  escape,  and  he  will  not  get  away 
unless  we  go  for  him." 

"That  is  what  I  think,  Pierre.  We  will  start  at  once;  but 
we  must  not  let  the  countess  know  what  we  are  going  for.  I 
will  get  the  chief  of  the  council  openly  to  charge  me  with  a 
mission  to  the  south,  while  telling  them  privately  where  I  am 
really  going,  and  with  what  object.  I  am  known  to  most  of 


366  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

them,  and  I  doubt  not  they  will  fall  in  with  my  plans.  We 
will  ride  my  two  best  horses  and  lead  a  spare  one.  We  will 
leave  them  a  few  miles  outside  Paris  and  then  go  in  disguised 
as  countrymen.  At  any  rate  we  shall  soon  be  able  to  learn  if 
my  cousin  is  among  those  who  fell;  if  not,  he  must  be  in  hid- 
ing somewhere.  It  will  not  be  easy  to  discover  him,  but  I 
trust  to  you  to  find  him." 

Accordingly  the  next  day  the  countess  heard  that  Philip 
had  been  requested  by  the  council  to  proceed  on  a  mission  to 
the  south,  where  the  Huguenots  were  everywhere  in  arms. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

REUNITED 

DHILIP  took  clothes  with  him  in  his  saddle-bags  of  gayer 
i  colours  than  those  worn  by  the  Huguenots,  and  as  soon 
as  they  were  beyond  the  district  where  the  Protestants  were  in 
the  ascendant,  he  put  these  on  instead  of  those  in  which  he 
had  started.  They  rode  fast,  and  on  the  fifth  day  after  leav- 
ing La  Rochelle  they  entered  Versailles.  No  questions  had 
been  asked  them  by  the  way,  and  they  rode  into  the  court- 
yard of  the  principal  inn,  and  there  stabled  their  horses. 

"Your  animals  look  as  if  they  needed  rest,  sir,"  the  land- 
lord said,  as  they  dismounted. 

"Yes,  we  have  come  from  the  south,  and  have  pressed  them 
too  much.  I  have  business  in  Paris  which  will  occupy  me  for 
a  few  days,  therefore  I  will  leave  them  here  for  a  rest.  I  sup- 
pose you  can  furnish  me  with  two  horses  to  take  me  as  far  as 
St.  Cloud,  and  a  man  to  bring  them  back  again." 

"  Certainly  I  can,  sir,  and  your  horses  shall  be  well  looked 
after  here." 

"  Then  we  will  go  on  the  first  thing  in  the  morning.  Have 
the  horses  ready  by  that  time." 

The  next  morning  they  rode  to  St.  Cloud,  dismounted  there, 
and  handed  over  the  horses  to  the  man  who  had  ridden  behind 
them.  Then  they  crossed  by  the  bridge  over  the  river,  and 
entering  the  wood  that  bordered  the  Seine,  put  on  the  dis- 
guises they  had  brought  with  them,  concealing  their  clothes 
among  some  thick  bushes,  and  then  walked  on  into  Paris. 
They  put  up  at  a  small  inn,  and  as  they  partook  of  a  meal, 

367 


368  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

listened  to  the  talk  of  those  around  them.  But  it  was  not  here 
that  they  could  expect  to  gather  the  news  they  required.  They 
heard  the  names  of  many  of  those  who  had  been  killed,  but 
these  were  all  leaders  of  distinction;  and  as  soon  as  they  had 
finished  their  food  they  started  for  the  Louvre.  "I  don't  see 
how  we  are  to  find  out  what  we  want,  now  we  are  here, 
Pierre,"  Philip  said  after  they  had  stood  for  some  time  look- 
ing at  the  gate  through  which  numbers  of  gentlemen  entered 
or  left  the  palace.  "It  will  take  some  little  time,  sir,"  Pierre 
said.  "  I  think  the  best  plan  will  be  for  me  to  purchase  some 
clothes  suitable  for  the  lackey  of  a  gentleman  of  rank.  I  can 
get  them  easily  enough,  for  the  shops  will  be  full  of  garments 
bought  of  those  who  took  part  in  the  massacre.  Then  I  shall 
make  acquaintance  with  one  of  the  lackeys  of  the  court,  and 
with  plenty  of  good  wine  I  shall  no  doubt  be  able  to  learn  all 
that  he  knows  as  to  what  took  place  at  the  Louvre."  At  that 
moment  a  gentleman  passed  them. 

"  That  is  Count  Louis  de  Fontaine,  the  cousin  of  the  man 
I  killed  in  that  duel.  I  am  sure  it  is  he.  By  what  I  saw  of 
him,  he  is  a  gentleman  and  a  man  of  honour,  and  by  no  means 
ill-disposed  towards  us.  I  will  speak  to  him;  do  you  stay 
here  till  I  return." 

Pierre  was  about  to  protest,  but  Philip  had  already  left  him, 
and  was  following  the  count.  He  waited  until  they  were  in  a 
comparatively  quiet  place,  and  then  walked  on  and  overtook 
him. 

"Count  Louis  de  Fontaine,"  he  said. 

The  nobleman  turned  in  surprise  at  being  addressed  by 
this  big  countryman.  Philip  went  on:  "Our  acquaintance 
was  a  short  one,  count.  It  was  some  four  years  ago  at  Agen 
that  I  met  you,  and  had  the  misfortune  to  have  trouble  with 
your  cousin,  Count  Raoul,  but  short  as  it  was,  it  was  sufficient 
to  show  me  that  you  were  a  gentleman  of  heart,  and  to  en- 
courage me  now  to  throw  myself  on  your  generosity." 

"  Are  you  the  gentleman  who  fought  my  cousin,  and  after- 
wards escaped  from  the  castle?"  the  count  asked  in  surprise. 

"  I  am,  count.  I  am  here  upon  no  plot  or  conspiracy,  but 
simply  to  endeavour  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  my  cousin,  Fran- 
cois de  Laville,  who  was  with  the  King  of  Navarre  on  that 


REUNITED  369 

fearful  night  a  fortnight  since.  His  mother  is  distracted  at 
hearing  no  news  of  him,  while  to  me  he  is  as  a  brother. 
I  effected  my  own  escape,  and  have,  as  you  see,  returned  in 
disguise  to  ascertain  his  fate.  I  am  unable  to  obtain  a  list  of 
those  who  were  murdered,  and  seeing  you,  I  felt  that  it  would 
be  safe  to  rely  upon  your  honour,  and  to  ask  you  to  give  me 
the  news  I  require.  I  will  fall  back  now,  for  it  might  be 
thought  strange  that  a  noble  should  be  talking  to  a  peasant, 
but  I  pray  you  to  lead  the  way  to  some  quiet  spot  where  I  can 
speak  with  you  unnoticed." 

"  My  lodging  is  in  the  next  street.  Follow  me,  and  I  will 
take  you  up  to  my  room." 

As  soon  as  they  had  entered  the  lodging  the  count  said, 
"You  are  not  deceived,  I  am  incapable  of  betraying  a  trust 
imposed  upon  me.  I  bear  you  no  malice  for  the  slaying  of 
my  cousin,  for  indeed  the  quarrel  was  not  of  your  seeking; 
still  less  do  I  feel  hostility  toward  you  on  the  ground  of  your 
religion,  for  I  doubt  not  from  what  you  say,  that  you  are  of 
the  reformed  faith.  I  lament  most  deeply  and  bitterly  the 
events  that  have  taken  place — events  which  dishonour  our 
nation  in  the  eyes  of  all  Europe.  I  have  not  the  pleasure  of 
knowing  your  name." 

"I  am  the  Chevalier  Philip  Fletcher,  an  Englishman  by 
birth,  though  related  on  my  mother's  side  to  the  family  of  the 
Count  de  Laville." 

"  I  have  heard  your  name,  sir,  as  that  of  one  of  the  bravest 
gentlemen  in  the  following  of  Admiral  Coligny.  Now,  as  to 
your  cousin;  his  fate  is  uncertain.  He  was  certainly  cut 
down  by  the  hired  wretches  of  the  Guises.  They  passed  on 
in  search  of  other  victims,  believing  him  to  be  dead;  but  his 
body  was  not  afterwards  found,  and  the  general  opinion  is 
that  he  either  recovered  and  crawled  away,  and  is  still  in  some 
hiding-place,  or  that  he  is  concealed  somewhere  in  the  palace 
itself.  Search  was  made  next  day,  but  without  success. 
Some  think  he  may  have  reached  the  streets,  and  been  there 
killed,  and  his  body,  like  so  many  others,  thrown  into  the 
Seine.  I  trust  that  this  is  not  the  case,  but  I  have  no  grounds 
for  bidding  you  hope." 

"At  any  rate  you  have  given  me  cause  to  hope,  sir,  and  I 


370  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

thank  you  heartily.  It  is  something  to  know  that  he  is  not 
certainly  dead.  Can  you  tell  me  on  which  side  of  the  palace 
was  his  chamber  ?  I  saw  him  there  frequently,  but  did  not  on 
any  occasion  go  with  him  to  his  room." 

"It  was  on  the  side  facing  the  river;  it  was  near  that  of  the 
King  of  Navarre." 

"Thank  you,  count;  it  is  but  a  small  clue  with  which  to 
commence  my  search,  but  it  is  at  least  something.  You  say 
that  the  palace  itself  has  been  searched?" 

"Yes;  on  the  following  morning  it  was  thoroughly  searched 
for  fugitives  in  hiding,  but  for  all  that  he  may  be  concealed 
there  by  some  servant  whose  good-will  he  had  gained.  Is 
there  anything  else  that  I  can  tell  you  ?  I  may  say  that  I  have 
personally  no  influence  whatever  at  court.  I  have  never  failed 
to  express  myself  strongly  in  reference  to  the  policy  of  perse- 
cution, and  I  am  only  here  now  in  obedience  to  the  royal 
orders  to  present  myself  at  court." 

"  There  is  nothing  else,  count.  I  thank  you  most  sincerely 
for  having  thus  respected  my  disguise,  and  for  the  news  you 
have  given  me." 

Philip  returned  to  the  Louvre  and  joined  Pierre,  who  was 
impatiently  waiting. 

"  I  followed  you  for  some  distance,  sir,  but  when  I  saw  you 
address  the  count,  and  then  follow  quietly  behind  him,  I  saw 
you  were  right,  and  that  he  was  to  be  trusted,  and  so  returned 
to  await  your  coming.  Have  you  obtained  any  sure  news  from 
him?"  Philip  repeated  his  conversation  with  the  count. 

"I  will  wager  he  is  hidden  somewhere  in  the  palace,"  Pierre 
said.  "Badly  wounded  as  he  must  have  been,  he  could  not 
have  hoped  to  make  his  escape  through  the  streets,  knowing 
no  one  who  would  have  dared  to  give  him  refuge.  It  is  far 
more  likely  that  some  of  the  palace  servants  came  upon  him 
just  as  he  was  recovering,  and  hid  him  away.  He  was  always 
bright  and  pleasant,  fond  of  a  jest,  and  it  may  well  be  that 
some  woman  or  other  took  pity  on  him.  The  question  is,  How 
are  we  to  find  out  who  she  is?  " 

"It  is  as  likely  to  be  a  man  as  a  woman,  Pierre." 

"No,"  Pierre  said  positively.  "Women  are  wonderfully 
tender-hearted,  and  are  not  so  afraid  of  consequences  as  men 


REUNITED  371 

are.  A  man  might  feel  some  pity  at  seeing  a  gentleman  so 
sorely  wounded;  but  he  would  not  risk  his  own  life  to  shelter 
him,  while  any  woman  would  do  it  without  hesitation.  It  may 
be  a  lady  of  noble  family,  or  a  poor  kitchen  wench,  but  that  it 
is  a  woman  I  would  wager  my  life." 

"It  seems  hopeless  to  try  to  find  out  who  it  is,"  Philip  said 
despondently. 

"Not  hopeless,  sir,  though  doubtless  difficult.  With  your 
permission  I  will  undertake  this  part  of  the  task.  I  will  get 
myself  up  as  a  workman  out  of  employment — and  there  are 
many  such — and  will  hang  about  near  that  little  gate;  it  is  the 
servants'  entrance,  and  I  shall  be  able  to  watch  every  woman 
that  comes  out." 

" But  what  good  will  watching  do?  " 

"It  may  do  no  good,  sir,  but  yet  it  may  help.  A  woman 
with  such  a  secret  as  that  on  her  mind  will  surely  show  some 
signs  of  it  upon  her  face.  She  will  either  have  a  scared  look 
or  an  anxious  look;  she  will  not  walk  with  an  easy  step." 

"Well,  there  is  something  in  what  you  say,  Pierre.  At  any 
rate  I  can  think  of  nothing  better." 

The  next  morning  Pierre  took  up  his  position  opposite  the 
gate,  but  had  no  news  that  night  to  report  to  his  master,  nor 
had  he  on  the  second  or  third,  but  on  the  fourth  he  returned 
radiant.  "Good  news,  master.  The  count  is  alive,  and  I 
have  found  him." 

Philip  sprung  from  his  settle  and  grasped  his  faithful  fol- 
lower by  the  hand.  "  Thank  God  for  the  news,  Pierre.  I  had 
almost  given  up  hope.  How  did  you  discover  him?  " 

"Just  as  I  expected,  sir.  I  have  seen  in  the  last  three  days 
scores  of  women  come  out,  but  none  of  them  needed  a  second 
look.  Some  were  intent  on  their  own  finery,  others  were 
clearly  bent  on  shopping.  Some  looked  up  and  down  the 
street  for  a  lover  who  ought  to  have  been  waiting  for  them. 
Not  one  of  these  had  a  secret  of  life  and  death  on  her  mind. 
But  this  afternoon  there  came  out  a  young  woman  with  a  pale 
face  and  an  anxious  look.  She  glanced  nervously  up  and 
down  the  street,  not  as  one  expecting  to  meet  a  friend,  but  as 
if  she  feared  an  enemy.  After  a  moment's  hesitation  she 
crossed  the  road,  and  walked  along  with  an  indecisive  air, 


372  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

more  than  once  glancing  behind  her  as  if  afraid  of  being 
followed. 

"'This  is  my  lady,'  I  said  to  myself,  and  keeping  some 
distance  behind  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road  I  fol- 
lowed her.  She  soon  turned  off  into  a  side  street.  Once  or 
twice  she  paused,  looked  into  a  shop,  hesitated,  and  then  went 
on  again.  You  may  be  sure  I  marked  the  spots,  and  was  not 
surprised  to  find  that  in  each  case  it  was  an  apothecary's 
before  which  she  had  hesitated.  At  last,  after  looking  round 
again  timidly,  she  entered  one;  and  when  I  came  up  I  also 
went  in.  She  gave  a  nervous  start.  I  asked  to  be  supplied 
with  a  pot  of  salve  for  a  wound,  and  the  man  helped  me  from 
one  he  had  just  placed  on  the  counter  before  him.  I  paid  for 
it  and  left.  Two  or  three  minutes  later  I  saw  her  come  out. 
Whatever  she  had  bought  she  had  hidden  it  under  her  cloak. 
Up  to  this  time  she  had  walked  fast,  but  she  now  loitered 
and  looked  at  the  wares  displayed  on  the  stalls. 

"'You  are  in  no  hurry  to  go  back,'  I  said  to  myself.  'You 
have  got  what  you  wanted,  and  you  do  not  wish  to  attract  atten- 
tion by  returning  to  the  palace  after  so  short  an  absence.'  At 
last,  when  she  was  in  a  quiet  spot,  I  walked  quickly  up  to  her. 
'Mademoiselle,'  I  said,  taking  off  my  hat,  'I  am  a  friend  of 
the  gentleman  for  whom  you  have  bought  that  salve  and  other 
matters. '  She  became  very  .white,  but  she  said  stoutly :  '  I 
don't  know  what  you  are  talking  about,  sir;  and  if  you  molest 
a  modest  young  woman  in  the  streets  I  shall  appeal  to  the  town 
constables  for  protection.'  'I  repeat,'  I  said,  'that  I  am  a 
friend  of  the  gentleman  for  whom  you  have  just  bought  the 
materials  for  dressing  his  wounds.  I  am  the  servant  of  his 
cousin,  the  Chevalier  Fletcher,  and  the  name  of  your  patient 
is  Count  Francois  de  Laville. ' 

"  She  looked  at  me  stupefied  with  astonishment,  and  stam- 
mered: 'How  do  you  know  that?'  'It  is  enough,  mademoi- 
selle, that  I  know  it,'  I  said.  'My  master  and  I  have  come 
to  Paris  expressly  to  find  Monsieur  de  Laville,  and  when  we 
have  found  him  to  aid  him  to  make  his  escape.  Do  not 
hesitate  to  confide  in  me,  for  only  so  shall  we  succeed  in  the 
object  of  our  journey.'  'What  is  your  master's  Christian 
name?  '  she  asked,  still  doubtful.  'It  is  Philip,'  I  said.  She 


REUNITED  373 

clasped  her  hands  together.  'The  good  God  be  praised!'  she 
exclaimed.  'It  was  of  Philip  he  spoke  when  he  was  so  ill. 
He  was  unconscious.  Surely  it  is  He  that  has  sent  you  to  me. 
It  has  been  terrible  for  me  to  bear  my  secret  alone.'  'Let  us 
walk  farther,'  I  said,  'before  you  tell  me  more.  There  are 
too  many  people  passing  here;  and  if  they  notice  the  tears  on 
your  cheeks  they  may  suspect  me  of  ill-treating  you,  and  may 
ask  troublesome  questions.'  After  a  few  minutes'  walk  we 
came  to  a  quiet  square.  'Let  us  sit  down  on  this  stone  seat,' 
I  said.  'We  can  talk  freely  here.  Now,  tell  me  all  about  it.' 

'"I  am  one  of  the  bed-makers  of  the  palace,  and  it  fell  to 
me  to  sweep  the  room  occupied  by  the  Count  de  Laville. 
Once  or  twice  he  came  in  while  I  was  there  and  spoke  pleas- 
antly; and  I  thought  what  a  handsome  fellow  he  was,  and  said 
to  myself  what  a  pity  it  was  that  he  was  a  heretic.  When  that 
terrible  night  came  we  were  all  aroused  from  our  sleep,  and 
many  of  us  ran  down  in  a  fright  to  see  what  was  the  matter. 
We  heard  shouts  and  cries  and  the  clashing  of  swords.  As  I 
passed  Monsieur  de  Laville 's  room  the  door  was  open.  I 
looked  in.  Three  soldiers  lay  dead  on  the  floor,  and  near 
them  the  count,  whom  I  thought  was  also  dead.  I  ran  to  him 
and  lifted  his  head,  and  sprinkled  water  on  his  face  from  a 
flagon  on  the  table.  He  opened  his  eyes  and  made  an  effort 
to  get  to  his  feet.  I  was  frightened  out  of  my  life  at  it  all, 
and  I  said  to  him:  "What  does  it  all  mean,  monsieur?" 

" '"  It  is  a  massacre,"  he  said  faintly.  "  Do  you  not  hear  the 
firing  in  the  streets  and  the  din  in  the  palace?  They  will 
return  and  finish  me.  I  thank  you  for  what  you  ha/e  done, 
but  it  is  useless."  Then  I  thought  for  a  moment.  "Can 
you  walk,  monsieur?  "  " Barely,"  he  replied.  "  Lean  on  my 
shoulder,  monsieur,"  I  said.  "I  will  help  you  up  the  stairs. 
I  know  of  a  place  where  you  may  lie  concealed."  With  great 
difficulty  I  helped  him  up  a  staircase  that  was  but  little  used,  and 
got  him  to  the  top.  Several  times  he  said:  "It  is  of  no  use; 
I  am  wounded  to  death !  "  but  he  still  held  on.  I  slept  in  a  lit- 
tle garret  in  the  roof  with  two  other  servants,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  passage  was  a  large  lumber-store.  It  was  into  this  that  I 
took  him.  Nobody  ever  went  there,  and  it  was  safe  except  in 
case  of  special  search.  I  laid  him  down  and  then  moved  some 


374  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

of  the  heavy  cabinets  and  chests  at  the  farther  end,  a  short 
distance  from  the  wall,  so  that  there  would  be  space  enough 
for  him  to  lie  behind  them.  Here  I  made  a  bed  with  some 
old  cushions  from  the  couches,  got  him  into  the  place,  first 
bandaging  his  wounds  as  well  as  I  could  in  the  faint  light  that 
came  in  through  a  dormer-window.  I  fetched  a  jug  of  water 
from  my  room  and  placed  it  beside  him,  and  then  moved  the 
furniture  so  as  to  close  up  the  spot  at  which  he  had  entered. 
Against  it  I  piled  up  tables  and  chairs,  so  that  to  anyone  who 
did  not  examine  it  very  closely  it  would  seem  that  the  heavy 
furniture  was  against  the  wall.  There  he  has  been  ever  since. 

"'Two  or  three  times  a  day  I  have  managed  to  steal  away 
from  my  work  to  carry  him  water  and  food  that  I  brought  from 
the  kitchen  when  we  went  down  to  our  meals.  For  a  time  I 
thought  he  would  die;  for  four  days  he  did  not  know  me.  He 
talked  much  to  himself,  and  several  times  he  mentioned  the 
name  of  Philip,  and  called  upon  him  to  aid  him  against  the  mur- 
derers. Fortunately  he  was  so  weak  that  he  could  not  speak 
much  above  a  whisper,  and  there  was  no  fear  of  his  voice  being 
heard.  The  day  after  I  hid  him  the  whole  palace  was  searched 
to  see  if  any  Huguenots  were  concealed.  But  up  in  the  attics 
they  searched  but  carelessly,  seeing  that  we  slept  three  or  four 
in  each  room,  and  no  one  could  well  be  hidden  there  without 
all  knowing  it.  They  did  enter  the  lumber-room.  But  I  had 
carefully  washed  the  floor  where  he  had  lain,  and  as  I  could 
not  get  out  the  stains  of  blood  I  pushed  some  heavy  chests 
over  them.  I  was  in  my  room  when  they  searched  the  lumber- 
room,  and  my  heart  stood  still  until  I  heard  them  come  out 
and  knew  that  they  had  found  nothing. 

"'For  the  last  ten  days  the  count  has  gained  strength;  his 
wounds  are  still  very  sore  and  painful,  but  they  are  beginning 
to  heal.  I  have  bought  wine  for  him,  and  can  always  manage 
to  conceal  enough  food  from  the  table  to  suffice  for  his  wants. 
He  can  walk  now,  though  feebly,  and  spoke  to  me  but  to-day 
about  making  his  escape.  It  would  be  easy  enough  to  get  him 
out  of  the  palace  if  I  had  a  lackey's  attire  for  him.  I  could 
lead  him  down  private  staircases  till  near  the  door  from  which 
we  come  out  of  the  palace.  But  I  had  little  money,  for  I  had 
sent  off  most  of  my  wages  to  my  mother  only  a  day  or  two 


REUNITED  375 

before  the  royal  wedding.  Still  we  might  have  managed  that; 
I  could  have  borrowed  some  on  some  pretence  or  other.  He 
is  however  too  weak  to  travel,  and  the  effort  to  do  so  might 
cause  his  wounds  to  burst  out  afresh;  but  now  that  his  cousin 
has  come  all  will  be  well. ' 

"'Where  is  he  wounded?  '  I  asked. 

"'He  has  four  wounds:  one  is  on  the  head,  another  on  the 
neck,  one  is  a  stab  in  the  body,  that  must  have  narrowly 
missed  his  heart;  and  the  other  is  a  sword-thrust  through  his 
arm.  But  how,  monsieur,  did  you  know,'  she  asked,  'that  it 
is  I  who  have  hidden  the  count? '  I  told  her  that  I  had  been 
watching  for  four  days,  feeling  sure  that  the  count  was  hidden 
in  the  palace ;  but  hers  was  the  -first  face  that  showed  anxiety, 
and  that  when  I  saw  her  buying  salve  at  the  apothecary's  I  felt 
sure  that  it  was  she  who  was  sheltering  the  count." 

"And  have  you  arranged  anything,  Pierre?"  Philip  asked 
anxiously. 

"  Only  this  much,  sir,  that  to-morrow  evening,  as  soon  as  it 
is  dark,  she  will  leave  the  palace  with  Monsieur  Francois. 
That  will  give  us  plenty  of  time  to  make  our  plans,  which  will 
be  easy  enough.  We  have  but  to  take  an  apartment  and  bring 
him  up  into  it.  No  one  need  know  that  there  are  more  than 
ourselves  there,  and  we  can  nurse  him  for  a  few  days  until  he 
is  fit  to  ride.  Then  we  have  only  to  get  him  a  disguise  like 
that  in  which  we  entered.  We  can  hide  him  in  the  wood,  go 
on  to  where  we  hid  our  clothes,  put  them  on  instead  of  our 
disguises,  enter  St.  Cloud,  go  on  to  Versailles,  fetch  the  three 
horses,  and  return  to  him — with,  of  course,  a  suit  of  clothes 
for  himself." 

There  was  no  difficulty  in  hiring  two  rooms  in  a  quiet  street. 
Suits  of  clothes  suitable  for  a  court  lackey  were  purchased,  and 
these  were  given  by  Pierre  to  the  girl  when  she  came  out  in 
the  afternoon.  Philip  had  accompanied  Pierre  to  meet  her. 

"My  good  girl,"  he  said,  "I  cannot  tell  you  how  deeply  I 
feel  the  kindness  that  you  have  shown  my  cousin.  You  have 
risked  your  life  to  save  him;  and  that,  I  am  sure,  without  the 
smallest  thought  of  reward.  Still  so  good  an  action  must  not 
pass  without  acknowledgment,  though  no  money  can  express 
the  amount  of  our  gratitude  to  you." 


376  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

"I  do  not  want  to  be  paid,  sir,"  she  said.  "I  had  no 
thought  of  money." 

"I  know  that,"  Philip  replied;  "but  you  must  allow  us  to 
show  our  gratitude  in  the  only  way  we  can.  In  the  first  place, 
what  is  your  name?  " 

"Annette  Riolt,  sir." 

"  Well,  Annette,  here  are  fifty  crowns  in  this  purse.  It  is 
all  that  I  can  spare  at  present;  but  be  assured  the  Countess  de 
Laville  will  send  you,  at  the  first  opportunity,  a  sum  that  will 
be  a  good  dot  for  you  when  you  find  a  husband.  If  the  mes- 
senger by  whom  it  is  sent  asks  for  you  by  your  name  at  the 
door  of  the  palace  by  which  you  usually  leave  it,  will  he  obtain 
access  to  you?" 

"Yes,  sir.  The  porter  at  the  door  knows  me;  and  if  he 
should  be  changed,  whoever  is  there  will  inquire  of  the  maids, 
if  he  asks  for  Annette  Riolt,  one  of  the  chamber-women  in  the 
north  wing  of  the  palace." 

"  Very  well,  Annette.  You  may  rely  that  a  messenger  will 
come.  I  cannot  say  how  soon;  that  must  depend  on  other 
circumstances.  Where  do  you  come  from?  " 

"From  Poitiers,  sir;  my  parents  live  on  a  little  farm  called 
La  Machoir,  two  miles  north  of  the  city." 

"Then,  Annette,  the  best  thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  leave 
your  present  employment  and  to  journey  down  home.  It  will 
be  easy  to  send  from  La  Rochelle  to  Poitiers,  and  unless  the 
place  is  besieged,  as  it  is  likely  to  be  before  long,  you  will 
soon  hear  from  us.  Probably  the  messenger  will  have  visited 
the  farm  before  you  reach  it." 

"  I  will  do  that,  sir,"  the  girl  said  gratefully.  "  I  never  liked 
this  life,  and  since  that  terrible  night  I  have  scarcely  had  any 
sleep.  I  seem  to  hear  noises  and  cries  just  as  they  say  the 
king  does,  and  shall  be  indeed  glad  to  be  away.  But  I  cannot 
come  out  with  the  count  this  evening.  We  only  get  out  once 
in  five  days,  and  it  was  only  as  a  special  favour  I  have  been 
let  out  now.  I  will  come  with  him  to  the  door  talking  with 
him  as  if  he  were  a  lackey  of  my  acquaintance." 

At  the  hour  agreed  upon  Philip  and  Pierre,  stationed  a  few 
yards  from  the  door,  saw  a  man  and  woman  appear.  The  girl 
made  some  laughing  remark  and  then  went  back  into  the 


REUNITED  37  r 

palace.  The  man  came  out.  He  made  two  quick  steps  and 
then  stumbled,  and  Philip  ran  forward  and  grasped  him  firmly 
under  the  arm. 

"You  were  just  in  time,  Philip,"  Francois  said  with  a  feeble 
laugh,  "another  step  and  I  should  have  been  down.  I  am 
weaker  than  I  thought  I  was,  and  the  fresh  air  is  well-nigh  too 
much  for  me.  I  have  had  a  close  shave  of  it,  Philip,  and  have 
been  nearer  death  in  that  attic  up  there  than  I  ever  was  on  a 
field  of  battle.  What  a  good  little  woman  that  was !  I  owe 
my  life  to  her.  It  is  good  of  you  coming  here  to  find  me,  old 
fellow,  you  are  always  getting  me  out  of  scrapes.  You  remem- 
ber that  affair  at  Toulouse.  Thank  you,  Pierre,  but  mind, 
that  arm  you  have  got  hold  of  is  the  weak  one.  Now,  how  far 
have  we  got  to  go,  Philip  ?  for  I  warn  you  I  am  nearly  at  the 
end  of  my  strength." 

"We  will  get  into  a  quiet  street  first,  Francois,  and  there 
you  shall  have  a  drink  from  a  flask  of  excellent  wine  I  have 
here,  then  we  will  help  you  along.  You  can  lean  as  heavily  as 
you  like  upon  us,  you  are  no  great  weight  now;  and  anyone 
who  notices  us  helping  you  will  suppose  that  we  are  conveying 
a  drunken  comrade  to  his  home." 

But  in  spite  of  all  the  assistance  they  could  give  him  Fran- 
cois was  terribly  exhausted  when  he  reached  the  lodging. 
Here  Philip  and  Pierre  bandaged  his  wounds  far  more  securely 
and  firmly  than  his  nurse  had  been  able  to  do,  and  the  next 
morning  when  he  awoke  he  declared  himself  ready  to  start  at 
once.  It  was  a  week,  however,  before  Philip  would  hear  of 
his  making  such  an  effort;  but  by  that  time  good  eating  and 
drinking  had  done  so  much  for  him  that  he  thought  he  would 
be  able  to  stand  the  fatigue  of  the  journey,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing they  started.  Disguised  as  peasants  they  passed  out 
through  the  gates  unquestioned.  Francois  was  left  in  the 
wood  with  the  clothes  they  had  purchased  for  him.  The 
others  then  went  on  and  found  their  bundles  undisturbed, 
obtained  their  three  horses  at  Versailles,  and  riding  back  soon 
had  Francois  mounted.  The  wound  on  his  head  was  so  far 
healed  that  it  was  no  longer  necessary  to  bandage  it,  and 
although  he  looked  pale  and  weak  there  was  nothing  about 
him  to  attract  special  notice.  They  journeyed  by  easy  stages 


378 

south,  lengthening  the  distances  gradually  as  Francois  gained 
strength,  aoid  riding  fast  towards  the  end  so  as  to  reach  La 
Rochelle  before  an  army  under  Marshal  Biron  sat  down  before 
it.  It  was  evening  when  they  arrived,  and  after  putting  up 
their  horses  they  made  their  way  to  Monsieur  Bertram's. 
Philip  mounted  the  stairs,  leaving  Frangois  to  follow  him 
slowly. 

"  I  shall  not  take  more  than  two  or  three  minutes  to  break 
the  news,  but  I  must  prepare  your  mother  a  little,  Francois. — 
She  has  not  said  much,  but  I  know  she  had  but  little  hope 
though  she  bore  up  so  bravely." 

The  countess  was  sitting  with  Claire  and  the  merchant's 
daughter.  It  was  the  first  time  Philip  had  seen  Mademoiselle 
de  Valecourt  since  they  first  arrived  at  La  Rochelle.  She  was 
dressed  now  in  deep  mourning.  A  flush  of  bright  colour 
spread  over  her  face  as  Philip  entered.  As  in  duty  bound  he 
turned  first  to  the  countess  and  saluted  her  affectionately,  and 
then  turned  to  Claire  and  would  have  kissed  her  hand,  but  the 
countess  said,  "Tut,  tut,  Philip,  that  is  not  the  way  to  salute 
your  betrothed;  "  and  Philip,  drawing  her  to  him,  kissed  her 
for  the  first  time  since  they  had  betrothed  themselves  to  each 
other  in  the  hut  in  Paris,  and  then  saluted  Mademoiselle 
Bertram. 

"  We  have  been  under  no  uneasiness  respecting  you,  Philip, " 
the  countess  said;  "for  Claire  and  myself  both  look  upon  you 
as  having  a  charmed  life.  Has  your  mission  been  successful  ?  " 

"  It  has,  aunt,  beyond  my  hopes.  And  first  I  must  ask  your 
pardon  for  having  deceived  you." 

"  Deceived  me,  Philip !     In  what  way  ?  " 

"My  mission  was  an  assumed  one,"  Philip  said;  "and  in 
reality  Pierre  and  I  journeyed  to  Paris." 

A  cry  broke  from  the  countess's  lips. 

"To  Paris,  Philip !  And  your  mission  has  been  successful? 
You  have  heard  something?" 

"I  have  done  more,  aunt,  I  have  found  him." 

"The  Lord  be  praised  for  all  His  mercies !  "  burst  from  the 
lips  of  the  countess,  and  she  threw  herself  on  Philip's  neck 
and  burst  into  a  passion  of  tears,  the  first  she  had  shed  since 
he  brought  the  news  from  Paris. 


REUNITED  379 

"Courage,  aunt,"  Philip  whispered.  He  glanced  towards 
the  door;  Claire  understood  him  and  ran  to  open  it.  Fran- 
cois came  quietly  in. 

"Mother,"  he  said,  and  the  countess,  with  a  cry  of  joy,  ran 
into  his  arms. 

The  French  army  appeared  before  the  town  on  the  follow- 
ing day,  and  the  siege  was  at  once  commenced.  With  Mar- 
shal Biron  were  the  dukes  of  Anjou  and  Alencon,  the  King  of 
Navarre,  and  the  Prince  of  Conde",  who  had  been  compelled 
to  accompany  him.  The  siege  made  little  progress.  The 
defences  were  strong,  and  the  Huguenots  were  not  con- 
tent only  to  repel  assaults,  but  made  fierce  sallies,  causing  a 
considerable  loss  to  the  besiegers.  To  the  surprise  of  the 
defenders  they  heard  that  the  Count  de  la  Noiie  had  arrived 
in  camp  with  a  mission  from  the  king.  He  had  remained  a 
captive  in  the  camp  of  the  Duke  of  Alva  after  the  surrender 
of  Mons,  and  so  had  happily  escaped  the  massacre  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew. He  had  then  been  released,  and  had  gone  to 
France  to  arrange  his  ransom.  The  king,  who  was  now  tor- 
mented with  remorse,  sent  for  him  and  entreated  him  as  a 
personal  favour  to  go  as  his  Commissioner  to  La  Rochelle, 
and  to  endeavour  to  bring  about  a  cessation  of  hostilities, 
authorizing  him  to  grant  almost  any  terms. 

De  la  Noiie  undertook  the  task  unwillingly,  and  only  upon 
condition  that  he  would  be  no  party  to  inducing  them  to  sur- 
render unless  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  guarantees  for  the 
observance  of  any  treaty  that  might  be  made.  When  a  flag  of 
truce  came  forward  and  announced  that  Monsieur  de  la  Noiie 
had  arrived  on  the  part  of  the  king,  the  news  was  at  first  re- 
ceived with  incredulity.  Then  there  was  a  burst  of  indigna- 
tion at  what  was  considered  the  treachery  of  the  count.  He 
was  refused  permission  to  enter  the  town,  but  after  some  par- 
leying a  party  went  out  to  have  an  interview  with  him  out- 
side the  gate.  The  meeting  was  unsatisfactory;  some  of  the 
citizens  pretended  that  they  did  not  recognize  De  la  Noiie, 
saying  that  the  person  they  knew  was  a  brave  gentleman, 
faithful  to  his  religion,  and  one  who  certainly  would  not  be 
found  in  ti  Catholic  camp. 


380  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

A  few  days  later,  however,  the  negotiations  were  renewed. 
The  count  pointed  out  that  they  could  not  hope  finally  to  re- 
sist the  whole  force  of  France,  and  that  it  would  be  far  better 
for  them  to  make  terms  now  than  when  in  an  extremity.  But 
he  was  able  to  give  no  guarantees  that  were  considered  accept- 
able by  the  citizens.  De  la  Node's  position  was  exceedingly 
difficult.  But  at  last  the  citizens  perceived  that  he  was  still 
loyal  to  the  cause;  and  as  he  had  beforehand  received  the 
king's  authority  to  accept  the  governorship  of  the  town,  the 
people  of  La  Rochelle  agreed  to  receive  him  in  that  position, 
provided  that  no  troops  entered  with  him. 

The  negotiations  fell  through  and  the  siege  was  renewed  with 
vigour,  De  la  Nolle  now  taking  the  lead  in  the  defence,  his 
military  experience  being  of  immense  assistance.  Very  many 
of  the  nobles  and  gentlemen  in  the  Catholic  army  were  present 
as  a  matter  of  duty;  they  fought  with  the  usual  gallantry  of 
their  race,  but  for  the  most  part  abhorred  the  massacre  of  St. 
Bartholomew,  and  were  as  strongly  of  opinion  as  were  the 
Huguenots  of  France  and  the  Protestants  throughout  Europe 
that  it  was  an  indelible  disgrace  upon  France.  Their  feeling 
was  shown  in  many  ways.  Among  others,  Maurevel,  the  mur- 
derer of  De  Mouy,  and  the  man  who  had  attempted  the  assas- 
sination of  the  Admiral,  having  accompanied  the  Duke  of 
Anjou  to  the  camp,  no  one  would  associate  with  him  or  suffer 
him  to  encamp  near,  or  even  go  on  guard  with  him  into  the 
trenches,  and  the  duke  was  in  consequence  obliged  to  appoint 
him  to  the  command  of  a  small  fort  which  was  erected  on  the 
sea-shore. 

Incessant  fighting  went  on,  but  the  position  was  a  singular 
one.  The  Duke  of  Alencon  had  been  an  unwilling  spectator 
of  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew.  He  was  jealous  of  Anjou, 
and  restless  and  discontented,  and  he  contemplated  going 
over  to  the  Huguenots.  The  King  of  Navarre  and  his  cousin 
Conde",  and  the  Huguenot  gentlemen  with  him,  were  equally 
anxious  to  leave  the  camp,  where  they  were  closely  watched; 
and  De  la  Noiie,  while  conducting  the  defence,  occasionally 
visited  the  royal  camp  and  endeavoured  to  bring  about  a 
reconciliation. 

He  was  much  rejoiced  on  his  first  arrival  at  the  city  to  find 


REUNITED  381 

both  Francois  and  Philip  there,  for  he  had  believed  that  both 
had  fallen  in  the  massacre.  He  took  great  interest  in  Philip's 
love  affair,  and  made  inquiries  in  the  royal  camp,  where  he 
learned  that  Mademoiselle  de  Valecourt  was  supposed  to  have 
perished  with  her  father  in  the  massacre,  and  that  the  estates 
had  already  been  bestowed  by  the  king  on  one  of  his  favourites. 

"I  should  say  that  if  our  cause  should  finally  triumph  a 
portion  at  least  of  her  estates  will  be  restored  to  her;  but  in 
that  case  the  king  would  certainly  claim  to  dispose  of  her 
hand." 

"I  care  nothing  for  the  estates,  nor  does  she,"  Philip  said. 
"  She  will  go  with  me  to  England  as  soon  as  the  fighting  here 
is  over,  and  if  things  look  hopeless  we  shall  embark  and  en- 
deavour to  break  through  the  blockade  by  the  king's  ships. 
Even  had  she  the  estates  she  would  not  remain  in  France, 
which  has  become  hateful  to  her.  She  is  now  fully  restored  to 
health,  and  we  shall  shortly  be  married." 

When  De  la  Noiie  next  went  out  to  the  French  camp  he 
sent  a  despatch  to  the  king  saying  that  Mademoiselle  de  Vale- 
court  had  escaped  the  massacre  and  was  in  La  Rochelle.  He 
pointed  out  that  as  long  as  she  lived  the  Huguenots  would, 
if  at  any  time  they  became  strong  enough  to  make  terms,  in- 
sist upon  the  restoration  of  her  estates,  as  well  as  those  of 
others  that  had  been  confiscated.  He  said  that  he  had  had  an 
interview  with  her,  and  had  learned  that  she  intended,  if  a 
proper  provision  should  be  secured  for  her,  to  retire  to  Eng- 
land. He  therefore  prayed  his  majesty,  as  a  favour  to  him 
and  as  an  act  of  justice,  to  require  the  nobleman  to  whom  he 
had  granted  the  estates  to  pay  her  a  handsome  sum,  when 
she  would  make  a  formal  renunciation  of  the  estates  in  his 
favour. 

A  month  later  he  received  the  royal  answer,  saying  that  the 
king  had  graciously  taken  the  case  of  Mademoiselle  de  Vale- 
court  into  his  consideration,  that  he  had  spoken  to  the  noble- 
man to  whom  he  had  granted  her  estate,  and  to  the  Duke  of 
Guise,  whose  near  relative  he  was,  and  that  these  noblemen 
had  placed  in  his  hands  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  livres,  for 
which  was  enclosed  an  order  payable  by  the  treasury  of  the 
army  upon  the  signatures  of  M.  de  la  Noiie  and  Mdlle.  de 


382  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

Valecourt,  and  upon  the  handing  over  of  the  document  of 
renunciation  signed  by  her. 

M.  de  la  Noiie  had  told  Philip  nothing  of  these  negotia- 
tions, but  having  obtained  from  Claire  the  necessary  signature, 
he,  one  evening,  on  his  return  from  the  royal  camp,  came 
into  the  room  where  they  were  sitting,  followed  by  two  ser- 
vants carrying  small,  but  heavy  bags. 

"Mademoiselle,"  he  said,  when  the  servants  had  placed 
these  on  the  table  and  retired,  "  I  have  pleasure  in  handing 
you  these.  Philip,  Mademoiselle  de  Valecourt  will  not  come 
to  you  as  a  dowerless  bride,  which  indeed  would  be  a  shame 
for  a  daughter  of  so  old  and  noble  a  family.  Mademoiselle 
has  signed  a  formal  renunciation  of  her  rights  to  the  estates 
of  her  late  father,  and  by  some  slight  good  offices  on  my  part 
his  majesty  has  obtained  for  her  from  the  man  to  whom  he 
has  granted  the  estates  of  Valecourt  the  sum  of  ten  thousand 
livres — a  poor  fraction  indeed  of  the  estates  she  should  have 
inherited,  and  yet  a  considerable  sum  in  itself. 

A  week  later  Sir  Philip  Fletcher  and  Claire  de  Valecourt 
were  married  in  the  principal  church  of  La  Rochelle.  The 
Count  de  la  Noiie,  as  a  friend  and  companion-in-arms  of  her 
father,  gave  her  away,  and  all  the  Huguenot  noblemen  and 
gentlemen  in  the  town  were  present.  Three  weeks  later  a 
great  assault  upon  the  bastion  of  L'Evangile  having  been 
repulsed,  the  siege  languished,  the  besieging  army  having 
suffered  greatly  both  from  death  in  the  trenches  and  assaults, 
and  by  the  attacks  of  fever.  The  Count  of  Montgomery 
arrived  from  England  with  some  reinforcements.  De  la  Noiie 
resigned  to  him  the  governorship  and  left  the  city.  The 
Prince  of  Anjou  shortly  afterwards  received  the  crown  of 
Poland,  and  left  the  camp  with  a  number  of  nobles  to  proceed 
to  his  new  kingdom,  and  the  army  became  so  weakened  that 
the  siege  was  practically  discontinued,  and  the  blockading 
fleet  being  withdrawn  Philip  and  his  wife  took  passage  in  a 
ship  for  England,  Pierre  accompanying  them. 

"I  may  come  some  day  with  Francois,  Philip,"  the  countess 
said,  "  but  not  till  I  see  that  the  cause  is  altogether  lost.  Still 
I  have  faith  that  we  shall  win  tolerance.  They  say  that  the 
king  is  mad.  Anjou  has  gone  to  Poland.  Alencon  is  still 


REUNITED  383 

unmarried.  I  believe  that  it  is  God's  will  that  Henri  of 
Navarre  should  come  to  the  throne  of  France,  and  if  so,  there 
will  be  peace  and  toleration  in  France.  So  long  as  a  Hugue- 
not sword  is  unsheathed  I  shall  remain  here." 

Philip  had  written  to  acquaint  his  father  and  mother  of  his 
marriage  and  his  intention  to  return  with  his  wife  as  soon  as 
the  siege  was  over.  There  was  therefore  but  little  surprise, 
although  great  joy,  when  he  arrived.  He  had  sent  off  Pierre 
on  horseback  as  soon  as  the  ship  dropped  anchor  at  Graves- 
end,  and  followed  more  leisurely  himself.  They  were  met  a 
few  miles  out  of  Canterbury  by  a  messenger  from  his  uncle 
telling  them  to  ride  straight  to  his  new  estate,  where  he  would 
be  met  by  his  mother  and  father,  the  latter  of  whom  had 
started  the  day  before  in  a  Iftter  for  the  house,  and  that  his 
uncle  and  aunt  would  also  be  there. 

Upon  Philip  and  Claire's  arrival  they  were  received  with 
much  rejoicing.  Monsieur  Vaillant  had  sent  round  messen- 
gers to  all  the  tenantry  to  assemble,  and  had  taken  over  a 
number  of  his  workmen,  who  had  decorated  the  avenue  lead- 
ing to  the  house  with  flags,  and  thrown  several  arches  across  it. 

"It  is  a  small  place  in  comparison  to  Valecourt,  Claire," 
Philip  said  as  they  drove  up  to  the  house. 

"  It  is  a  fine  chateau,  Philip ;  but  now  that  I  have  you  it 
would  not  matter  to  me  were  it  but  a  hut.  And  oh,  what  hap- 
piness to  think  that  we  have  done  with  persecution  and  terror 
and  war,  and  that  I  may  worship  God  freely  and  openly !  He 
has  been  good  to  me  indeed,  and  if  I  were  not  perfectly  happy 
I  should  be  the  most  ungrateful  of  women." 

Claire's  dowry  was  spent  in  emaiging  the  estate,  and  Philip 
became  one  of  the  largest  landowners  in  the  county.  He  went 
no  more  to  the  wars,  save  that,  when  the  Spanish  armada 
threatened  the  religion  and  freedom  of  England,  he  embarked 
as  a  volunteer  in  one  of  Drake's  ships,  and  took  part  in  the 
fierce  fighting  that  freed  England  for  ever  from  the  yoke  of 
Rome,  and  in  no  small  degree  aided  both  in  securing  the 
independence  of  Protestant  Holland,  and  of  seating  Henri  of 
Navarre  firmly  upon  the  throne  of  France.  Save  to  pay  two 
or  three  visits  to  Philip  and  her  sisters,  the  Countess  de 
Laville  and  her  son  did  not  come  to  England.  Francis 


384  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

fought  at  Ivry  and  the  many  other  battles  that  took  place  be- 
fore Henri  of  Navarre  became  undisputed  King  of  France, 
and  then  became  one  of  the  leading  nobles  of  his  court. 

Philip  settled  a  small  pension  on  the  four  men-at-arms  who 
had  followed  his  fortunes  and  shared  his  perils,  and  they  re- 
turned to  their  native  Gascony,  where  they  settled  down,  two 
being  no  longer  fit  for  service,  and  the  others  having  had 
enough  fighting  for  a  lifetime. 

The  countess  had,  soon  after  Francois  returned  to  La 
Rochelle,  sent  a  sum  of  money  to  the  girl  who  had  saved  his 
life,  that  sufficed  to  make  her  the  wealthiest  heiress  in  her 
native  village  in  Poitou,  and  she  married  a  well-to-do  farmer, 
the  countess  herself  standing  as  godmother  to  their  first  child, 
to  their  immeasurable  pride  and  gratification. 

Pierre  remained  to  the  end  of  his  life  in  Philip's  service, 
taking  to  himself  an  English  wife,  and  being  a  great  favourite 
with  the  children  of  Philip  and  Claire,  who  were  never  tired 
of  listening  to  the  adventures  he  had  gone  through  with  their 
father  and  mother  in  the  religious  wars  in  France. 


THE  END. 


"Wherever  English  is  spoken  one  imagines  that  Mr.  Henty's 
name  is  known.  One  cannot  enter  a  schoolroom  or  look  at  a 
boy's  bookshelf  without  seeing  half-a-dozen  of  his  familiar 
volumes.  Mr.  Henty  is  no  doubt  the  most  successful  writer 
for  boys,  and  the  one  to  whose  new  volumes  they  look  forward 
every  Christmas  with  most  pleasure." — Review  of  Reviews. 


A  LIST   OF   BOOKS 
FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 

By 

G*  A.  HENTY, 

KIRK  MUNROE,  JAMES  TOflTCOMB  RILEY, 
ERNEST  THOMPSON  SETON,  and  Others 


Published  by 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

t53  to  J57  Fifth  Avenue 
New  York 


A    LIST    OF    BOOKS 

FOR 

YOUNG    PEOPLE 

By    G.    A.    HENTY 


BY  CONDUCT  AND   COURAGE 

A  Story  of  Nelson's  Days.     Illustrated.     $1.20  net  (postage,  16c.). 

This,  the  last  of  the  celebrated  Henty  Books  ever  to  be  published,  is  a 
rattling  story  of  the  battle  and  the  breeze  in  the  glorious  days  of  Parker 
and  Nelson.  The  hero  is  brought  up  in  a  Yorkshire  fishing  village,  and 
enters  the  navy  as  a  ship's  boy. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  months  after  joining  he  so  distinguishes  him- 
self in  action  with  French  ships  and  Moorish  pirates  that  he  is  raised  to 
the  dignity  of  midshipman.  His  ship  is  afterward  sent  to  the  West 
Indies.  Here  his  services  attract  the  attention  of  the  Admiral,  who 
gives  him  command  of  a  small  cutter.  In  this  vessel  he  cruises  about 
among  the  islands,  chasing  and  capturing  pirates,  and  even  attacking 
their  strongholds.  He  is  a  born  leader  of  men,  and  his  pluck,  foresight, 
and  resource  win  him  success  where  men  of  greater  experience  might 
have  failed.  He  is  several  times  taken  prisoner :  by  mutinous  negroes  in 
Cuba,  by  Moorish  pirates  who  carry  him  as  a  slave  to  Algiers,  and  finally 
by  the  French.  In  this  last  case  he  escapes  in  time  to  take  part  in  tha 
battles  of  Cape  St.  Vincent  and  Camperdown.  His  adventures  include  a 
thrilling  experience  in  Corsica  with  no  less  a  companion  than  Nelson 
himself. 

WITH  THE  ALLIES  TO  PEKIN 

A  Tale  of  the  Relief  of  the  Legations.    Illustrated  by  WAL  PAGET. 

$1.20  net. 

In  this  book  the  writer  re-tells  the  story  of  the  Siege  of  Pekin  in  a  way 
that  is  sure  to  grip  the  interest  of  his  young  readers.  The  experience  of 
Rex  Bateman,  the  son  of  an  English  merchant  at  Tientsin,  and  of  his 
cousins,  two  girls  whom  Rex  rescues  from  the  Boxers  just  after  the  first 
outbreak,  offer  a  variety  of  heroic  incident  sufficient  to  fire  the  loyalty  of 
the  most  indifferent  lad. 

THROUGH  THREE  CAMPAIGNS 

A  Story  of  Chitral,  Tirah,  and  Ashanti.    Illustrated  by  WAL  PAGET. 

$1.20  net. 

The  exciting  story  of  a  boy's  adventures  in  the  British  Army.  Lisle 
Bullen,  left  an  orphan,  is  to  be  sent  home  by  the  colonel  of  the  regiment 
on  the  eve  of  the  Chitral  campaign.  The  boy's  patriotism  compels  him, 
instead,  to  secretly  join  the  regiment.  He  early  distinguishes  himself 
for  conspicuous  bravery.  His  disguise  is  discovered  and  his  promotions 
follow  rapidly. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


BY  C.  A.  HENTY 

«« Among  writers  of  stories  of  adventures  for  boys  Mr.  Henty  standa 
In  the  very  first  rank."— Academy  (London). 


THE   TREASURE   OF   THE   INCAS 

A  Tale  of  Adventure  in  Peru.     "With  8  full-page  Illustrations 
by  WAII  PAGET,  and  Map.     $1.20  net. 

Peru  and  the  hidden  treasures  of  her  ancient  kings  offer  Mr.  Henty  a 
most  fertile  field  for  a  stirring  story  of  adventure  in  his  most  engaging 
style.  In  an  effort  to  win  th"e  girl  of  his  heart,  the  hero  penetrates  into 
the  wilds  of  the  land  of  the  Incas.  Boys  who  have  learned  to  look  for 
Mr.  Henty's  books  will  follow  his  new  hero  in  his  adventurous  and 
romantic  expedition  with  absorbing  interest.  It  is  one  of  the  most  cap- 
tivating tales  Mr.  Henty  has  yet  written. 

WITH  KITCHENER  IN  THE  SOUDAN 

A  Story  of  Atbara  and  Omdurman.     With  10  full-page  Illus- 
trations.   $1.20  net. 

Mr.  Henty  has  never  combined  history  and  thrilling  adventure  more 
skillfully  than  in  this  extremely  interesting  story.  It  is  not  in  boy  nat- 
ure to  lay  it  aside  unfinished,  once  begun ;  and  finished,  the  reader  finds 
himself  in  possession,  not  only  of  the  facts  and  the  true  atmosphere  of 
Kitchener's  famous  Soudan  campaign,  but  of  the  Gordon  tragedy  which 
preceded  it  by  so  many  years  and  of  which  it  was  the  outcome. 

WITH  THE  BRITISH  LEGION 

A  Story  of  the  Carlist  Uprising  of  1836.     Illustrated.     $1.20 

net. 

Arthur  Hallet,  a  young  English  boy,  finds  himself  in  difficulty  at 
home,  through  certain  harmless  school  escapades,  and  enlists  in  the 
famous  "British  Legion,"  which  was  then  embarking  for  Spain  to  take 
part  in  the  campaign  to  repress  the  Carlist  uprising  of  1886.  Arthur 
shows  his  mettle  in  the  first  fight,  distinguishes  himself  by  daring  work 
in  carrying  an  important  dispatch  to  Madrid,  makes  a  dashing  and 
thrilling  rescue  of  the  sister  of  his  patron,  and  is  rapidly  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  captain.  In  following  the  adventures  of  the  hero  the  reader  ob- 
tains, as  is  usual  with  Mr.  Henty's  stories,  a  most  accurate  and  interest* 
ing  history  of  a  picturesque  campaign. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


STORIES    BY    G.    A.    HENTY 

"  His  books  have  at  once  the  solidity  of  history  and  the  charm  of 
romance. " '-Journal  of  Education. 


TO  HERAT  AND   CABUL 

A  Story  of  the  First  Afghan  War.    By  G.  A.  HENTY.    With 
Illustrations.      12mo,  $1.20  net. 

The  greatest  defeat  ever  experienced  by  the  British  Army  was  that 
in  the  Mountain  Passes  of  Afghanistan.  Angus  Cameron,  the  hero  of 
this  book,  having  been  captured  by  the  friendly  Afghans,  was  com- 
pelled to  be  a  witness  of  the  calamity.  His  whole  story  is  an  intensely 
interesting  one,  from  his  boyhood  in  Persia;  his  employment  under  the 
Government  at  Herat;  through  the  defense  of  that  town  against  the 
Persians;  to  Cabul,  where  he  shared  in  all  the  events  which  ended  in 
the  awful  march  through  the  Passes  from  which  but  one  man  escaped. 
Angus  is  always  at  the  point  of  danger,  and  whether  in  battle  or  in 
hazardous  expeditions  shows  how  much  a  brave  youth,  full  of 
resources,  can  do,  even  with  so  treacherous  a  foe.  His  dangers  and 
adventures  are  thrilling,  and  his  escapes  marvellous. 

WITH  ROBERTS  TO  PRETORIA 

A  Tale  of  the  South  African  War.    By  G.  A  HENTY.    With  1% 
Illustrations.    $1.20  net. 

The  Boer  War  gives  Mr.  Henty  an  unexcelled  opportunity  for  a 
thrilling  story  of  present-day  interest  which  the  author  could  not  fail  to 
take  advantage  of.  Every  boy  reader  will  find  this  account  of  the  ad- 
ventures of  the  young  hero  most  exciting,  and,  at  the  same  time  a 
wonderfully  accurate  description  of  Lord  Koberts's  campaign  to  Preto- 
ria. Boys  have  found  history  in  the  dress  Mr.  Henty  gives  it  anything 
but  dull,  and  the  present  book  is  no  exception  to  the  rule. 

AT  THE  POINT  OF  THE  BAYONET 

A  Tale  of  the  Mahratta  War.    By  G.  A.  HENTY.    Illustrated. 
12mo,  $1.20  net. 

One  hundred  years  ago  the  rule  of  the  British  in  India  was  only  partly 
established.  The  powerful  Mahrattas  were  unsubdued,  and  with  their 
skill  in  intrigue,  and  great  military  power,  they  were  exceedingly  dan 
gerous.  The  story  of  "At  the  Point  of  the  Bayonet"  begins  with 
the  attempt  to  conquer  this  powerful  people.  Harry  Lindsay,  an 
infant  when  his  father  and  mother  were  killed,  was  saved  by  his 
Mahratta  ayah,  who  carried  him  to  her  own  people  and  brought  him 
up  as  a  native.  She  taught  him  as  best  she  could,  and,  having  told  him 
his  pareatage,  sent  him  to  Bombay  to  be  educated.  At  sixteen  he  ob- 
tained a  conmission  in  the  English  Army,  and  his  knowledge  of  the 
Mahratta  tougue  combined  with  his  ability  and  bravery  enabled  him  to 
render  great  service  in  the  Mahratta  War,  and  carried  him,  through 
many  frightful  perils  by  land  and  sea,  to  high  rank. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUJVG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  Mr.  Henty  might  with  entire  propriety  be  called  the  boys'  Sir 
Walter  Scott."— Philadelphia  Press. 


IN  THE   IRISH   BRIGADE 

A  Tale  of  War  in  Flanders  and  Spain.    With  12  Illustrations  by 
CHARLES  M.  SHELDON.    12mo,  $1.50. 

Desmond  Kennedy  is  a  young  Irish  lad  who  left  Ireland  to  join  the 
Irish  Brigade  in  the  service  of  Louis  XIV.  of  France.  In  Paris  he  in- 
curred the  deadly  hatred  of  a  powerful  courtier  from  whom  he  had 
rescued  a  young  girl  who  had  been  kidnapped,  and  his  perils  are  of  ab- 
sorbing interest.  Captured  in  an  attempted  Jacobite  invasion  of  Scot- 
land, he  escaped  in  a  most  extraordinary  manner.  As  aid-de-camp 
to  the  Duke  of  Berwick  he  experienced  thrilling  adventures  in  Flan- 
ders. Transferred  to  the  Army  in  Spain,  he  was  nearly  assassinated,but 
escaped  to  return,  when  peace  was  declared,  to  his  native  land,  having 
received  pardon  and  having  recovered  his  estates.  The  story  is  filled 
with  adventure,  and  the  interest  never  abates. 

OUT   WITH  GARIBALDI 

A  Story  of  the  Liberation  of  Italy.    By  G.  A.  HENTY.    With 
8  Illustrations  by  W.  RAINEY,  R.I.     12mo,  $1.50. 

Garibaldi  himself  is  the  central  figure  of  this  brilliant  story,  and  the 
little-known  history  of  the  struggle  for  Italian  freedom  is  told  here  in 
the  most  thrilling  way.  From  the  time  the  hero,  a  young  lad,  son  of 
an  English  father  and  an  Italian  mother,  joins  Garibaldi's  band  of 
1,000  men  in  the  first  descent  upon  Sicily,  which  was  garrisoned  by  one 
of  the  large  Neapolitan  armies,  until  the  end,  when  all  those  armies 
are  beaten,  and  the  two  Sicilys  are  conquered,  we  folio  ar  with  the 
keenest  interest  the  exciting  adventures  of  the  lad  in  scouting,  in 
battle,  and  in  freeing  those  in  prison  for  liberty's  sake. 

WITH   BULLER   IN  NATAL 

Or,  A  Born  Leader.    By  G.  A.  HENTY.    With  10  Illustrations 
by  W.  RAINEY.    12mo,  $1.50. 

The  breaking  out  of  the  Boer  War  compelled  Chris  King,  the  hero 
of  the  story,  to  flee  with  his  mother  from  Johannesburg  to  the  sea 
coast.  They  were  with  many  other  Uitlanders,  and  all  suffered  much 
from  the  Boers.  Reaching  a  place  of  safety  for  their  families,  Chris 
and  twenty  of  his  friends  formed  an  independent  company  of  scouts.  In 
this  service  they  were  with  Gen.  Yule  at  Glencoe,  then  in  Ladysmith, 
then  with  Buller.  In  each  place  they  had  many  thrilling  adventures. 
They  were  in  great  battles  and  in  lonely  fights  on  the  Veldt ;  were 
taken  prisoners  and  escaped;  and  they  rendered  most  valuable  service 
to  the  English  forces.  The  story  is  a  most  interesting  picture  of  the 
War  in  South  Africa. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  Q.  A.  HENTY 

"  Surely  Mr.  Henty  should  understand  boys'  tastes  better  than  any 
man  living."—  The  Times. 


WON   BY  THE   SWORD 

A  Tale  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War.    With  12  Illustrations  by 
CHARLES  M.  SHELDON,  and  four  Plans.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  scene  of  this  story  is  Hid  in  "France,  during  t.be  time  of  Richelieu, 
of  Mazarin  and  Anne  of  Austria.  The  hero,  Hector  Campbell,  is  the 
orphaned  son  of  a  Scotch  officer  in  the  French  Array.  How  he  at- 
tracted the  notice  of  Marshal  Turenne  and  of  the  Prince  of  Conde ; 
how  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  Colonel ;  how  he  finally  had  to  leave  France, 
pursued  by  the  deadly  hatred  of  the  Due  de  Beaufort — all  these  and 
much  more  the  story  tells  with  the  most  absorbing  interest. 

A  ROVING  COMMISSION 

Or,  Through  the  Black  Insurrection  at  Hayti.    With  12  Illus- 
trations by  WILLIAM  RAINEY.    12mo,  $1.50. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  Mr.  Henty's  books.  A  story  of 
the  sea,  with  all  its  life  and  action,  it  is  also  full  of  thrilling:  adven- 
tures on  land.  So  it  holds  the  keenest  interest  until  the  end.  The 
scene  is  a  new  one  to  Mr.  Henty's  readers,  being  laid  at  the  time  of  the 
Great  Revolt  of  the  Blacks,  by  which  Hayti  became  independent. 
Toussaint  1'Overture  appears,  and  an  admirable  picture  is  given  of  him 
and  of  his  power. 

NO  SURRENDER 

The   Story  of  the  Revolt  in  La  Vendee.    With  8  Illustrations 
by  STANLEY  L.  WOOD.    12mo,  $1.50. 

The  revolt  of  La  Vendee  against  the  French  Republic  at  the  time  of 
the  Revolution  forms  the  groundwork  of  this  absorbing  story.  Leigh 
Stansfield,  a  young  English  lad,  is  drawn  into  the  thickest  of  the  con- 
flict. Forming  a  company  of  boys  as  scouts  for  the  Vende"an  Army, 
he  greatly  aids  the  peasants.  He  rescues  his  sister  from  the  guillotine, 
and  finally,  after  many  thrilling  experiences,  when  the  cause  of  La 
Vende'e  is  lost,  he  escapes  to  England. 

UNDER  WELLINGTON'S  COMMAND 
A  Tale  of  the  Peninsular  War.     With  12  Illustrations  by  WAL 
PAGET.    12mo,  $1.50. 

The  dashing  hero  of  this  took,  Terence  O'Connor,  was  the  hero  of 
Mr.  Henty's  previous  book,  "  With  Moore  at  Corunna,"  to  which  this 
is  really  a  sequel.  He  is  still  at  the  head  of  the  "  Minho  "  Portuguese 
regiment.  Being  detached  on  independent  and  guerilla  duty  with  his 
regiment,  he  renders  invaluable  service  in  gaining  information  and  in 
harassing  the  French.  His  command,  being  constantly  on  the  edge  of 
the  army,  is  engaged,  in  frequent  skirmishes  and  some  most  important 
battles. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  Q.  A.  HENTY 

"Mr.  Henty  ia  the  king  of  story-tellers  for  boys."— Sword  and  Trowel. 


AT  ABOUKIR  AND  ACRE 

A  Story  of  Napoleon's  Invasion  of  Egypt.    With  8  full-page 
Illustrations  by  WILLIAM  RAINEY,  and  3  Plans.    12mo, 

$1.50. 

The  hero,  having  saved  the  life  of  the  eon  of  an  Arab  chief,  is  taken 
Into  the  tribe,  has  a  part  in  the  battle  of  the  Pyramids  and  the  revolt 
at  Cairo.  He  is  an  eye-witness  of  the  famous  naval  battle  of  Aboukir, 
and  later  is  in  the  hardest  of  the  defense  of  Acre. 

BOTH  SIDES  THE  BORDER 

A  Tale  of  Hotspur  and  Glendower.    With  12  full-page  Illus- 
trations by  RALPH  PEACOCK.    12mo,  $1.50. 

This  is  a  brilliant  story  of  the  stirring  times  of  the  beginning  of  the 
"Wars  of  the  Roses,  when  the  Scotch,  under  Douglas,  and  the  Welsh, 
under  Owen  Glendower,  were  attacking  the  English.  The  hero  of  the 
book  lived  near  the  Scotch  border,  and  saw  many  a  hard  fight  there. 
Entering  the  service  of  Lord  Percy,  he  was  sent  to  Wales,  where  he 
was  knighted,  and  where  he  wag  captured.  Being  released,  he  returned 
home,  and  shared  in  the  fatal  battle  of  Shrewsbury. 


WITH  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT 

A  Tale  of  the  Seven  Years'  War.    With  12  f  ull-page  Illustra- 
tions.   12mo,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  while  still  a  youth  entered  the  service  of 
Frederick  the  Great,  and  by  a  succession  of  fortunate  circumstances 
and  perilous  adventures,  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel.  Attached  to  the 
staff  of  the  king,  he  rendered  distinguished  services  in  many  battles,  in 
one  of  which  he  saved  the  king's  life.  Twice  captured  and  imprisoned, 
he  both  times  escaped  from  the  Austrian  fortresses. 

A  MARCH  ON  LONDON 

A  Story  of  Wat  Tyler's  Rising.     With  8  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  W.  H.  MARGETSON.    12mo,  $1.50. 

The  story  of  Wat  Tyler's  Rebellion  is  but  little  known,  but  the  hero 
of  this  story  passes  through  that  perilous  time  and  takes  part  in  the 
civil  war  in  Flanders  which  followed  soon  after.  Although  young  he 
is  thrown  into  many  exciting  and  dangerous  adventures,  through  which 
he  passes  with  great  coolness  and  much  credit. 


BOOKS   FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"No  country  nor  epoch  of  history  is  there  which  Mr.  Hentydoes  not 
know,  and  what  is  really  remarkable  is  that  he  always  writes  well  and 
interestingly."— JVfew  York  Times. 


WITH  MOORE  AT  CORUNNA 

A  Story  of  the  Peninsular  War.  With  12  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  WAL  PAGET.  13mo,  $1.50. 

Terence  O'Connor  is  living  with  his  widowed  father,  Captain  O'Con- 
nor of  the  Mayo  Fusiliers,  with  the  regiment  at  the  time  when  the 
Peninsular  war  began.  Upon  the  regiment  being  ordered  to  Spain, 
Terence  gets  appointed  as  aid  to  one  of  the  generals  of  a  division.  By 
his  bravery  and  great  usefulness  throughout  the  war,  he  is  rewarded 
by  a  commission  as  colonel  in  the  Portuguese  army  and  there  rendered 
great  service. 

AT  AGINCOURT 

A  Tale  of  the  White  Hoods  of  Paris.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  WALTER  PAGET.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

The  story  begins  in  a  grim  feudal  castle  in  Normandie.  The  times 
•were  troublous,  and  soon  the  king  compelled  Lady  Margaret  de  Villeroy 
with  her  children  to  go  to  Paris  as  hostages.  Guy  Aylmer  went  with 
her.  Paris  was  turbulent.  Soon  the  guild  of  the  butchers,  adopting 
white  hoods  as  their  uniform,  seized  the  city,  and  besieged  the  house 
where  our  hero  and  his  charges  lived.  After  desperate  fighting,  the 
white  hoods  were  beaten  and  our  hero  and  his  charges  escaped  from 
the  city,  and  from  France. 

WITH  COCHRANE  THE  DAUNTLESS 

A  Tale  of  the  Exploits  of  Lord  Cochrane  in  South  American 
Waters.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  H. 
MARGETSON.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  accompanies  Cochrane  as  midshipman,  and 
serves  in  the  war  between  Chili  and  Peru.  He  has  many  exciting 
adventures  in  battles  by  sea  and  land,  is  taken  prisoner  and  condemned 
to  death  by  the  Inquisition,  but  escapes  by  a  long  and  thrilling  flight 
across  South  America  and  down  the  Amazon. 

ON  THE  IRRAWADDY 

A  Story  of  the  First  Burmese  War.  With  8  full-page  Illus- 
trations by  W.  H.  OVEREND.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges, 
$1.50. 

The  hero,  having  an  uncle,  a  trader  on  the  Indian  and  Burmese 
rivers,  goes  out  to  join  him.  Soon  after,  war  is  declared  by  Burmah 
against  England  and  he  is  drawn  into  it.  He  has  many  experiences 
and  narrow  escapes  in  battles  and  in  scouting.  With  half-a-dozen 
men  he  rescues  his  cousin  who  had  been  taken  prisoner,  and  in  the 
flight  they  are  besieged  in  an  old,  ruined  temple. 


BOOKS  FOR    TO  UNO   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  Boys  like  stirring  adventures,  and  Mr.  Henty  is  a  master  of  thla 
method  of  composition." — New  York  T-.mes. 


THROUGH  RUSSIAN  SNOWS 

A  Story  of  Napoleon's  Retreat  from  Moscow.  "With  8  fuU- 
page  Illustrations  bj  W.  H.  OVBBEND  and  3  Maps.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Julian  Wyatt,  after  several  adventures  with  smugglers,  by 
whom  he  is  handed  over  a  prisoner  to  the  French,  regains  his  freedom 
and  joins  Napoleon's  army  iu  the  Russian  campaign.  When  the  terrible 
retreat  begins,  Julian  finds  himself  in  the  rearguard  of  the  French  army, 
fighting  desperately.  Ultimately  he  escapes  out  of  the  general  disaster, 
and  returns  to  England. 

A  KNIGHT  OF   THE  WHITE  CROSS 

A  Tale  of  the  Siege  of  Rhodes.  With  12  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  RALPH  PEACOCK,  and  a  Plan.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

Gervaise  Tresham,  the  hero  of  this  story,  joins  the  Order  of  the 
Knights  of  St.  John,  and  proceeds  to  the  stronghold  of  Rhodes.  Sub- 
sequently he  is  appointed  commander  of  a  war-galley,  and  in  his  first 
voyage  destroys  a  fleet  of  Moorish  corsairs.  During  one  of  his  cruises 
the  young  knight  is  attacked  on  shore,  captured  after  a  desperate 
struggle,  and  sold  into  slavery  in  Tripoli.  He  succeeds  in  escaping,  and 
returns  to  Rhodes  iu  time  to  take  part  in  the  defense  of  that  fortress. 

THE  TIGER  OF  MYSORE 

A  Story  of  the  War  with  Tippoo  Saib.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  W.  H.  MARGETSON,  and  a  Map.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Dick  Holland,  whose  father  is  supposed  to  be  a  captive  of  Tippoo 
Saib,  goes  to  India  to  help  him  to  escape.  He  joins  the  army  under 
Lord  Cornwallis,  and  takes  part  in  the  campaign  againt  Tippoo. 
Afterwards  he  assumes  a  disguise,  enters  Seringapatam,  and  at  last 
he  discovers  his  father  in  the  great  stronghold  of  Savandroog.  The 
hazardous  rescue  is  at  length  accomplished,  and  the  young  fellow's 
dangerous  mission  is  done. 

IN  THE  HEART  OF  THE  ROCKIES 

A  Story  of  Adventure  in  Colorado.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  "With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  G.  C.  HINDLEY.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Tom  Wade,  goes  to  seek  his  uncle  in  Colorado,  who  is  a 
hunter  and  gold-digger,  and  he  is  discovered,  after  many  dangers,  out 
on  the  Plains  with  some  comrades.  Going  in  quest  of  a  gold  mine,  the 
little  band  is  spied  by  Indians,  chased  across  the  Bad  Lands,  and 
overwhelmed  by  a  snowstorm  in  the  mountains. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

41  Mr.  Henty  is  one  of  the  best  story-tellers  for  young  people." 

—Spectator, 


WHHN  LONDON  BURNED 

A  Story  of  the  Plague  and  the  Fire.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  FINNEMORE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  ©f  this  story  was  the  son  of  a  nobleman  who  had  lost  his 
estates  during  the  troublous  times  of  the  Commonwealth.  During  the 
Great  Plague  and  the  Great  Fire,  Cyril  was  prominent  among  those 
who  brought  help  to  the  panic-stricken  inhabitants. 

WULF  THE  SAXON 

A  Story  of  the  Norman  Conquest.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  RALPH  PEACOCK.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  is  a  young  thane  who  wins  the  favor  of  Earl  Harold  and 
becomes  one  of  his  retinue.  When  Harold  becomes  King  of  England 
Wulf  assists  in  the  Welsh  wars,  and  takes  part  against  the  Norsemen 
at  the  Battle  of  Stamford  Bridge.  When  William  of  Normandy  in- 
vades England,  Wulf  is  with  the  English  host  at  Hastings,  and  stands 
by  his  king  to  the  last  in  the  mighty  struggle. 

ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

A  Tale  of  the  Huguenot  Wars.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  J.  DRAPER,  and  a  Map. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Philip  Fletcher,  has  a  French  connection  on  his  mother's 
side.  This  induces  him  to  cross  the  Channel  in  order  to  take  a  share 
in  the  Huguenot  wars.  Naturally  he  sides  with  the  Protestants,  dis- 
tinguishes himself  in  various  battles,  and  receives  rapid  promotion  for 
the  zeal  and  daring  with  which  he  carries  out  several  secret  missions. 

THROUGH  THE  SIKH  WAR 

A  Tale  of  the  Conquest  of  the  Punjauh.  By  G.  A.  HENTY. 
With  12  full-page  illustrations  by  HAL  HURST,  and  a 
Map.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Percy  Groves,  a  spirited  English  lad,  joins  his  uncle  in  the  Punjaub, 
where  the  natives  are  in  a  state  of  revolt.  Percy  joins  the  British 
force  as  a  volunteer,  and  takes  a  distinguished  share  in  the  famous 
battles  of  the  Punjaub. 


LOOKS  FOR    YOUXG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  The  brightest  of  the  living  writers  whose  office  it  is  to  enchant  the 
boys. — Christian  Leader. 


A  JACOBITE  EXILE 

Being  the  Adventures  of  a  Young  Englishman  in  the  Service 
of  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8 
full-page  Illustrations  by  PAUL  HARDY,  and  a  Map.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Sir  Marmaduke  Carstairs,  a  Jacobite,  is  the" victim  of  a  conspiracy,  and 
he  is  denounced  as  a  plotter  against  the  life  of  King  William.  He  flies 
to  Sweden,  accompanied  by  his  s4n  Charlie.  This  youth  joins  the 
foreign  legion  under  Charles  XII.,  and  takes  a  distinguished  part  in 
several  famous  campaigns  against  the  Russians  and  Poles. 

CONDEMNED  AS  A  NIHILIST 

A  Story  of  Escape  from  Siberia.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8 
full-page  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  is  an  English  boy  resident  in  St.  Petersburg. 
Through  two  student  friends  he  becomes  innocently  involved  in 
various  political  plots,  resulting  in  his  seizure  by  the  Russian  police 
and  his  exile  to  Siberia.  He  ultimately  escapes,  and,  after  many  ex- 
citing adventures,  he  reaches  Norway,  and  thence  home,  after  a 
perilous  journey  which  lasts  nearly  two  years. 

BERIC  THE  BRITON 

A  Story  of  the  Roman  Invasion.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  PARKINSON.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  deals  with  the  Invasion  of  Britain  by  the  Roman  legionaries. 
Beric,  who  is  a  boy-chief  of  a  British  tribe,  takes  a  prominent  part  in 
the  insurrection  under  Boadicea ;  and  after  the  defeat  of  that  heroic 
queen  (in  A.  D.  62)  he  continues  the  struggle  in  the  fen-country. 
Ultimately  Beric  is  defeated  and  carried  captive  to  Rome,  where  he  is 
trained  in  the  exercise  of  arms  in  a  school  of  gladiators.  At  length  he 
returus  to  Britain,  where  he  becomes  ruler  of  his  own  people. 

IN  GREEK  WATERS 

A  Story  of  the  Grecian  War  of  Independence  (1821-1827).  By 
G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S. 
STAGEY,  and  a  Map.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Deals  with  the  revolt  of  the  Greeks  in  1821  against  Turkish  oppres- 
sion. Mr.  Beveridge  and  his  son  Horace  fit  out  a  privateer,  load  it 
with  military  stores,  and  set  sail  for  Greece.  They  rescue  the  Chris- 
tians, relieve  the  captive  Greeks,  and  fight  the  Turkish  war  vessels. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  G. A.  HENTY 

"  No  living  writer  of  books  for  boys  writes  to  better  purpose  than 
Mr.  G.  A.  Henty."— Philadelphia  Press. 


THE  DASH  FOR  KHARTOUM 

A  Tale  of  the  Nile  Expedition.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  10 
full-page  Illustrations  by  JOHN  SCHSNBERG  and  J.  NASH. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

In  the  record  of  recent  British  history  there  is  no  more  captivating 
page  for  boys  than  the  story  of  the  Nile  campaign,  and  the  attempt  to 
rescue  General  Gordon.  For,  in  the  difficulties  which  the  expedition 
encountered,  in  the  perils  which  it  overpassed,  and  in  its  final  tragic 
disappointments,  are  found  all  the  excitements  of  romance,  as  well  as 
the  fascination  which  belongs  to  real  events. 

REDSKIN  AND  COW-BOY 

A  Tale  of  the  Western  Plains.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  ALFRED  PEARSE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  central  interest  of  this  story  is  found  in  the  many  adventures  of 
an  English  lad,  who  seeks  employment  as  a  cow-boy  on  a  cattle  ranch. 
His  experiences  during  a  u  round-up  "  present  in  picturesque  form  the 
toilsome,  exciting,  adventurous  life  of  a  cow-boy ;  while  the  perils  of  a 
frontier  settlement  are  vividly  set  forth  in  an  Indian  raid. 


HELD  FAST  FOR  ENGLAND 

A  Tale  of  the  Siege  of  Gibraltar.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  deals  with  one  of  the  most  memorable  sieges  in  history— 
the  siege  of  Gibraltar  in  1779-83  by  the  united  forces  of  France  and 
Spain.  With  land  forces,  fleets,  and  floating  batteries,  the  combined 
resources  of  two  great  nations,  this  grim  fortress  was  vainly  besieged 
and  bombarded.  The  hero  of  the  tale,  an  English  lad  resident  in 
Gibraltar,  takes  a  brave  and  worthy  part  in  the  long  defence,  and  it  is 
through  his  varied  experiences  that  we  learn  with  what  bravery,  re- 
source, and  tenacity  the  Rock  was  held  for  England. 


NOTE.— For  a  list  of  Henty  Books  at  popular  prices,  see  the 
following  page. 


A  List  of  Books     * 
*      for  Young  People 


KIRK     MUNROE 


A    SON    OF    SATSUMA 
Or,  With  Perry  in  Japan 

BY  KIRK  MUNROE 

With  twelve  Illustrations  by  HARRY  C.  EDWARDS.    $1.00  net. 

THIS  absorbing  story  for  boys  deals  with  one  of  the  most  in. 
teresting  episodes  in  our  National  history.  From  the 
beginning  Japan  has  been  a  land  of  mystery.  Foreigners  were 
permitted  to  land  only  at  certain  points  on  her  shores  and  nothing 
whatever  was  known  of  her  civilization  and  history,  her  romance 
and  magnificence,  her  wealth  and  art.  It  was  Commodore  Perry 
who  opened  her  gates  to  the  world,  thus  solving  the  mystery  of 
the  ages,  and,  in  this  thrilling  »tory  of  an  American  boy  in 
Japan  at  that  period,  the  spirit  as  well  as  the  history  of  this  great 
achievement  is  ably  set  forth. 

MIDSHIPMAN  STUART 

Or,  the  Last  Cruise  of  the  Essex.  A  Tale  of  the  War  of  1812. 
Illustrated.  12mo,  $1.25. 

This  is  an  absorbing  story  of  life  in  the  American  Navy  during 
the  stirring  times  of  our  war  of  1812.  The  very  spirit  of  the 
period  is  in  its  pages,  and  many  of  the  adventures  of  the  Essex 
are  studied  from  history. 

IN  PIRATE  WATERS 

A  Tale  of  the  American  Navy.    Illustrated   by   I.  W.  TABEB. 
12mo,  $1.25. 

The  hero  of  the  story  becomes  a  midshipman  in  the  navy  just  at  the 
time  of  the  war  with  Tripoli.  His  own  wild  adventures  among  the 
Turks  and  his  love  romance  are  thoroughly  interwoven  with  the  stir- 
ring history  of  that  time. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  KIRK  MUNROE 
THE  "WHITE  CONQUERORS"  SERIES 

WITH    CROCKETT  AND   BOWIE 

Or,  Fighting  for  the  Lone  Star  Flag.  A  Tale  of  Texas.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  VICTOR  PERARD.  Crown  8vo, 
$1.25. 

The  story  is  of  the  Texas  revolution  in  1835,  when  American  Texans 
under  Sam  Houston,  Bowie,  Crockett  and  Travis,  fought  for  relief 
from  the  intolerable  tyranny  of  the  Mexican  Santa  Ana.  The  hero, 
Rex  Hardin,  son  of  a  Texan  ranchman  and  graduate  of  an  American 
military  school,  takes  a  prominent  part  in  the  heroic  defense  of  the 
Alamo,  and  the  final  triumph  at  San  Jacinto. 

THROUGH    SWAMP    AND   GLADE 

A  Tale  of  the  Seminole  War.  By  KIRK  MUNROE.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  V.  PERARD.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

Coacoochee,  the  hero  of  the  story,  is  the  son  of  Philip  the  chieftain 
of  the  Seminoles.  He  grows  up  to  lead  his  tribe  in  the  long  struggle 
which  resulted  in  the  Indians  being  driven  from  the  north  of  Florida 
down  to  the  distant  southern  wilderness. 

AT  WAR  WITH   PONTLAC 

Or,  the  Totem  of  the  Bear.  A  Tale  of  Redcoat  and  Redskin. 
By  KIRK  MUNROE.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  J. 
FINNEMORE.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

A  story  when  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie  were  held  by  hostile  Indians. 
The  hero,  Donald  Hester,  goes  in  search  of  his  sister  Edith,  who  has 
been  captured  by  the  Indians.  Strange  and  terrible  are  his  experi- 
ences ;  for  he  is  wounded,  taken  prisoner,  condemned  to  be  burned,  but 
contrives  to  escape.  In  the  end  all  things  terminate  happily. 

THE  WHITE  CONQUERORS 

A  Tale  of  Toltec  and  Aztec.  By  KIRK  MUNROE.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

This  story  deals  with  the  Conquest  of  Mexico  by  Cortez  and  his 
Spaniards,  the  "  White  Comquerors,"  who,  after  mamy  deeds  of  valor, 
pushed  their  way  into  the  great  Aztec  kingdom  and  established  their 
power  in  the  wondrous  city  where  Montezuma  reigned  in  splendor. 

CHARLES  SCRIBNHLR'S  SONS 
153-7  Fifth  Avenue  New  YorK 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


JEB  HUTTON,  A  GEORGIA  BOY 

By  JAMES  B.  CONNOLLY.  Illustrated.  $1.20  net.  (Postage, 
13  cents.) 

A  thoroughly  interesting  and  breezy  tale  of  boy-life  along  the 
Savannah  River  by  a  writer  who  knows  boys,  and  who  has  succeeded 
in  making  of  the  adventures  of  Jeb  and  his  friends  a  story  that  will 
keep  his  young  readers  absorbed  to  the  last  page. 

KING  MOMBO 

By  PAUL  Du  CHAILLU.  Author  of  "  The  World  of  the  Great 
Forest,"  etc.  With  24  illustrations.  $1.50  net.  (Postage, 
16  cents.) 

The  scene  is  the  great  African  forest.  It  Is  a  book  of  interesting 
experiences  with  native  tribes,  and  thrilling  and  perilous  adventures  in 
hunting  elephants,  crocodiles,  gorillas  and  other  fierce  creatures 
among  which  this  famous  explorer  lived  so  long. 


A  NEW  BOOK  FOR  GIRLS 

By  LINA  BEARD  and  ADELIA  B.  BEARD.    Authors  of  "The 
American  Girl's  Handy   Book."    Profusely  Illustrated. 

An  admirable  collection  of  entirely  new  and  original  indoor  and  out- 
door pastimes  for  American  girls,  each  fully  and  interestingly  de- 
scribed and  explained,  and  all  designed  to  stimulate  the  taste  and 
ingenuity  at  the  same  time  that  they  entertain. 

SEA  FIGHTERS   FROM   DRAKE  TO 
FARRAGUT 

By  JESSIE  PEABODY  FROTHINGHAM.    Illustrations  by  REUTER- 
DAHL.    $1.20  net.    (Postage,  14  cents.) 

Drake,  Tromp,  De  Reuter,  Tourville,  Suffren,  Paul  Jones,  Nelson 
and  Farragut  are  the  naval  heroes  here  pictured,  and  each  is  shown  in 
some  great  episode  which  illustrates  his  personality  and  heroism.  The 
book  is  full  of  the  very  spirit  of  daring  and  adventurous  achievement. 

BOB  AND  HIS  GUN 

By  WILLIAM  ALEXANDER  LINN.    With  8  Illustrations. 

The  adventures  of  a  boy  with  a  gun  under  the  instruction  of  his 
cousin,  an  accomplished  sportsman.  The  book's  aim  is  to  interest 
boys  in  hunting  in  the  spirit  of  true  sport  and  to  instruct  in  the  ways 
of  game  birds  and  animals. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG  PEOPLE 


BY  ROBERT  LEIGHTON 

"Mr.  Leighton's  place  is  in  the  front  rank  of  writers  of  boys'  books." 

— Standard. 

THE  GOLDEN  GALLEON 

Illustrated,  crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Tkis  is  a  story  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  time,  just  after  the  defeat  of  the 
Spanish  Armada.  Mr.  Leighton  introduces  in  his  work  the  great  sea- 
fighters  of  Plymouth  town— Hawkins,  Drake,  Raleigh,  and  Richard 
Grenville. 

OLAF  THE  GLORIOUS 

With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  RALPH  PEACOCK.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  of  Olaf,  King  of  Norway,  opens  with  his  being  found  living 
as  a  bond-slave  in  Esthonia,  and  follows  him  through  his  romantic 
youth  in  Russia.  Then  come  his  adventures  as  a  Viking,  his  raids  upon 
the  coasts  of  Scotland  and  England,  and  his  conversion  to  Christianity. 
He  returns  to  Norway  as  king,  and  converts  his  people  to  the  Christian 
faith. 

WRECK  OF  "THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE" 

The  Story  of  a  North  Sea  Fisher-boy.  With  8  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  FRANK  BRANGWYN.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  is  a  parson's  son  who  is  apprenticed  on  board  a  Lowestoft 
fishing  lugger.  The  lad  suffers  many  buffets  from  his  shipmates,  while 
the  storms  and  dangers  which  he  braved  are  set  forth  with  intense  power. 

THE  THIRSTY  SWORD 

A  Story  of  the  Norse  Invasion  of  Scotland  (1262-63).  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  ALFRED  PEARSE,  and  a  Map. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  tells  how  Roderick  Mac  Alpin,  the  sea-rover,  came  to  the 
Isle  of  Bute;  how  he  slew  his  brothei  in  Rothesay«Castle;  how  the  earl's 
eldest  son  was  likewise  slain;  how  young  Kenric  now  became  king  of 
Bute,  and  vowed  vengeance  against  the  slayer  of  his  brother  and  father, 
and  finally,  how  this  vow  was  kept,  when  Kenric  and  the  murderous 
sea-rover  met  at  midnight  and  ended  their  feud  in  one  last  great  fight. 

THE  PILOTS  OF  POMONA 

A  Story  of  the  Orkney  Islands.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations 
by  JOHN  LEIGHTON,  and  a  Map.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges, 
$1.50. 

Halcro  Ericson,  the  hero,  happens  upon  many  exciting  adventures 
and  hard  experiences,  through  which  he  carries  himself  with  quiet 
courage.  The  story  gives  a  vivid  presentation  of  life  in  these  far 
northern  islands. 


RETURN  CIRCULATION  DEPARTMENT 

TO— »•  202  Main  Library  642-3403 


LOAN  PERIOD  1 

2 

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LIBRARY  USE 

This  book  is  due  before  closing  time  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 

Ft 

BIS  1978 

f 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKELEY 
FORM  NO.  DD6A,  8m,  477  BERKELEY,  CA  94720 


LD  21-100m-2,'55 
(B139s22}476 


General  Library 
University  of  California 


